ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Elections: Investigations

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the average length of an investigation by the Electoral Commission has been since the Commission's establishment.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that in April 2008, it introduced a three stage approach to handling potential breaches of the party and election finance laws. First, it conducts an initial assessment using set criteria to determine whether the matter should become casework. Second, the vast majority of matters that become casework are dealt with as 'case reviews'. Finally, a small number of cases, where the matter is more complex, or may involve the use of statutory powers, are dealt with as 'investigations'.
	Between 1 April 2008 and 16 October 2009, the Commission assessed 155 potential cases. Over that period, initial assessments were completed in an average of 11 days against a seven day target. The Commission has met the seven day target for matters assessed since July 2009. It also conducted 49 case reviews, which were completed in an average of 69 days against a target of 90 days. The Commission undertook two investigations, which averaged 386 days, against a target of completing 90 per cent. of investigations within 180 days.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All travel is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
	Expenditure on hotel and other privately provided accommodation is not held separately or by categories requested on the Department's accounting system. This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office. It can be found at the following web link:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Gun Sports: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding Sport England has provided for training of  (a) pistol shooters and  (b) shooters of other weapons in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England advise that over the past 12 months they have awarded the English Target Shooting Federation (ETSF) £194,726 in funding. This funding forms part of a wider £343,000 award made to the ETSF in 2007 to support the English shooting team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
	The award is paid over three years from 2007 until 2010 and relates to the rifle, pistol, shotgun and full bore disciplines. It supports coaching, sport science training camps, athlete personal awards, warm weather training and general support costs.
	The proportion of the award that is used to fund pistol shooting is an issue which is determined by the ETSF rather than Sport England.

Licensing Act 2003

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will consider the introduction of a more flexible time limit for the granting of temporary event notices under the Licensing Act 2003;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of voluntary organisations which did not submit temporary event notice applications under the Licensing Act 2003 within the 10 day time limit in the last 12 month period for which figures are available;
	(3)  if he will consider the merits of amending the Licensing Act 2003 to allow a temporary event notice to be granted when the required period of notice has not been given, subject to terms and conditions.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is indeed willing to consider the introduction of some flexibility on the period of notice required for a temporary event notice (TEN) under the Licensing Act 2003. We are currently developing a proposal, in discussion with a group of stakeholders, that would give the police discretion to validate a TEN for an event that they consider to be low-risk when that TEN was otherwise invalid because it was issued without the minimum notice. We hope to commence a three-month consultation on this proposal, along with other simplification proposals, before the end of the year.
	We do not hold figures on the number of voluntary organisations that did not submit TENs within the 10 day time limit. However, the consultation will include an impact assessment containing a broad estimate of the number of events that may be affected by the proposed change, and the estimated economic impact. The consultation will invite comment on these estimates.

National Lottery: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much each of the National Lottery distributors spent on  (a) surveys and  (b) Government relations in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09.

Si�n Simon: The information requested is not held centrally, and to collect this would incur disproportionate cost.

National Lottery: Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent staff each National Lottery distributor employs.

Si�n Simon: Staff numbers are provided in each Distributor's Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library.

Olympic Games: Gun Sports

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether there are plans to allow the British Olympic shooting team to train at Bisley.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Bisley has been identified by London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games as a pre-games training camp for London 2012 shooting and is already used by the British shooting squad in the rifle and shotgun disciplines. Decisions on the British Olympic shooting team will not take place until a few months before the London 2012 games and their use of the facilities at Bisley will be determined by the national governing body of the sport.

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department's sponsored bodies attended party political conferences in 2009; and how much they spent at the  (a) Liberal Democrat,  (b) Labour and  (c) Conservative party conferences.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 14 October 2009
	This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Sports: Public Participation

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on its  (a) Active People Survey 1 and  (b) Active People Survey 2.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Active People Surveys were delivered and funded by Sport England. The cost of Active People Survey 1 was £5,538,145. The cost of Active People Survey 2 was £3,152,272. DCMS provided a financial contribution of £885,274 to Active People Survey 2.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many acres of the Church Commissioners' strategic land portfolio are  (a) in the UK and  (b) overseas.

Stuart Bell: This portfolio contains 4,089 acres, all in the UK.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what acreage of land has comprised the Church Commissioners' strategic land portfolio in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: The strategic portfolio has only been split from the rural portfolio over the past two years. It comprised 3,287 acres at the end of 2007 and 3,640 acres at the end of 2008.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how much of the Church Commissioners' assets were held in their strategic land portfolio  (a) in the UK and  (b) overseas in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: 2.5 per cent. at the end of 2007 and 1.8 per cent. at the end of 2008, all in the UK.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the policy of the Church Commissioners is on the use of land which is owned by them for the production of food.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners' farm land is let to tenants on Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 Tenancies and Farm Business Tenancies.

Church Commissioners: Land

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many acres of the Church Commissioners' rural let land portfolio has been transferred to their rural strategic land portfolio in each of the last five years.

Stuart Bell: 349 acres were transferred in 2008 and 514 acres have been transferred in 2009.

Publications

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2009,  Official Report, column 326W, on Lambeth Palace, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Church Commissioners' policy on the publication of information.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners do not have a formal policy document on the publication of housing costs. Total see house costs are published but, given the range of property types and given that the majority of costs are incurred during a vacancy, we do not publish expenditure on individual houses.

Register of Interests

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will place in the Library a copy of the register of interests of members of the Church Commissioners' Assets Committee.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners make the Register available for inspection on their premises by Members of Parliament and others upon request. I am pleased to invite the hon. Gentleman to make an appointment to come to Church House and inspect the Register.

TRANSPORT

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the sale value of the Dartford River Crossing; and what assumptions he made in relation to  (a) the level of tolls charged,  (b) vehicle movements and  (c) other factors in making that estimate.

Sadiq Khan: No estimate of the saleable value of the Dartford River Crossing has been made. Any such valuation would depend on the nature of any commercial agreements for a sale, including, but not exclusively, the length of those arrangements, the level of future charges and forecast future traffic volumes. The assumptions made around those issues are the same as those which would be made for normal business planning purposes.

Departmental Advertising

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on which initiatives of his Department and its agencies expenditure on advertising has been incurred in each of the last five years; how much was spent on each such initiative; and which such initiatives were offered for tender through the Central Office of Information.

Chris Mole: Expenditure for the Department for Transport's advertising campaigns from the 2004-05 fiscal year is in the following table. The majority of campaign advertising investment by the Department is in support of the THINK! road safety and the Act on CO2 campaigns. Major advertising investment by Executive Agencies has been by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, for the sale of marks, vehicle excise duty enforcement and electronic vehicle licensing.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Organi sation  Campaign  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 DfT(C) THINK! 8.75 million 11.57 million (1)7.42 million 1.78 million (1)11.67 million (1)12.65 million 
			  Transport Direct 240,000 865,000 405,000 (1)32,000 370,000 (1)629,000 42,000 
			  Act on CO2 - - (1)2.49 million 1.1 million (1)3.56 million (1)4.7 million 
			  Airport Security - - - (1)1.01 million - 
			 DVLA Sale of Marks 2.534 million 2.335 million 3.006 million 3.124 million 3.55 million 
			  VED Enforcement (1)5.961 million (1)4.165 million (1)5.596 million 3.754 million (1)3.791 million 
			  Accelerated Issue of Harmonised Registration Certificate (1)1.424 million (1)1.211 million - - - 
			  Electronic Vehicle Licensing - - - (1)2.445 million (1)2.415 million 
			  Others (1)1.026 million (1)677,000 (1)799,000 (1)676,000 (1)982,000 
			 HA Introduction of Traffic Officer Service - 330,000 - - - 
			  Traffic Radio Print Advertising - - - 99,000 - 
			  Safety, Strategy and Research Advertising - - - 12,000 - 
			  Severe Weather Advertising - - - (1)40,000 6,000 - 
			  Roadworker Safety Campaign - - - - 60,600 
			  'Don't be that Guy' campaign - - - - 67,000 
			  Pedestrian Intrusion Campaign - - - - (1)29,700 
			  Dartford Crossing - - - - 74,600 
			  Summer Getaway - - - - 63,400 
			 GCDA Advertising car and dispatch services - 5,000 0,500 - 2,800 
			 MCA Dial 999 for the Coastguard 9,100 15,500 9,900 15,100 117,700 
			 VCA N/A - - - - - 
			 VOSA N/A - - - - - 
			 DSA Passplus (1)32,000 (1)15,000 (1)148,000 (1)14,200 (1)6,500 
			  Learning to Drive - - - (1)52,600 (1)349,300 
			  Driver CPC - - - (1)4,500 (1)118,700 
			  Enhanced Rider Scheme - - - (1)20,000 (1)51,300 
			  Eco-Safe DSA - - - - (1)4,500 
			 (1) Procured via The Central Office of Information.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what IT systems have been in development for use within his Department in the last five years; what the reason for the development of each system was; how much has been spent on the development of each system; and which systems have been subsequently  (a) implemented,  (b) terminated prior to implementation and  (c) terminated following implementation.

Chris Mole: No central records are kept showing all ICT systems, and such a list could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, tables showing the main systems for the Department for Transport (Central) and its Agencies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Internet

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of maintaining and updating its Twitter account; and how many staff are responsible for updating the account.

Chris Mole: There have been no additional costs to date for the creation and maintenance of the Department for Transport corporate Twitter channel:
	http://www.twitter.com/transportgovuk
	No additional staff have been recruited and maintenance of the Twitter channel is being managed within the existing communications budget. The task is the responsibility of the departmental communications team as a whole as part of their overall range of duties; no staff are assigned to Twitter work specifically.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority: Advertising

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will review the extent of the need for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to advertise its services on the radio.

Paul Clark: Radio commercials allow for detailed targeted messages at an affordable cost and the Department of Transport has had a good deal of success with radio campaigns. For example, since the start of the recent promotion of the Driver Licence online service campaign, there has been an approximate increase of 25 per cent. on licences issued online.
	Radio can reach more people at a lower price than television advertising, with, therefore an increased return on investment.
	A review of the extent of this advertising is not considered necessary at this time.

East Cost Railway Line

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many new diesel trains the Secretary of State intends to procure for the new company issuing services on the East Coast Main Line; and when the  (a) first and  (b) last of these orders are likely to be (i) placed and (ii) delivered.

Chris Mole: holding answer 19 October 2009
	The Department for Transport does not intend to procure any diesel trains for services on the East Coast Main Line.
	However, as part of the Intercity Express Programme, the Department is procuring new electric and bi-mode (electric and diesel) Super Express Trains to operate services on the East Coast and the Great Western Main Line from 2014.
	This follows the electrification announcement by the Secretary of State in July 2009. Bi-mode trains utilise the electric wires where available and continue beyond the wires using the diesel engine. An announcement on the placing of orders for Super Express Trains will be made in due course.

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Chris Mole: One of the Department for Transport's non-departmental public bodies, Passenger Focus, sent representatives to the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative party conferences in 2009.

Railways: Birmingham

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations his Department has received on proposals for a high-speed rail hub at Birmingham International Airport.

Chris Mole: holding answer 20 October 2009
	Since the creation of High Speed Two, the Department for Transport has received two specific written representations with High speed rail hub at Birmingham International Airport as a subject heading. The Department receives general correspondence covering many policy areas, including high speed rail and the cities it may serve, from a number of individuals, organisations and companies.
	High Speed Two's work will include consideration of a range of route options between London and the West Midlands, as well as the access to central London and the other cities served.

Road Signs and Markings

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when blue driver location signs were introduced by his Department; how many have been installed on the road network to date; and at what cost to the public purse.

Chris Mole: For more than 30 years, distance marker posts have been provided at 100 metre intervals along each hard shoulder of motorways. Marker posts enable maintenance contractors to identify exactly where repair works are needed. They also show the direction to the nearest motorway emergency phone.
	Driver Location Signs were introduced in 2003 and approximately 16,000 signs have been installed on 80 per cent. of the motorway network at a cost of £5.9 million. During 2009-10 signs are being installed on the remaining parts of the Motorway Network at an additional cost of £1.6 million.
	Driver Location Signs are more visible to the travelling public and this enables:
	Motorists to quickly identify their location.
	Emergency Services to get to incident scenes more quickly due to them receiving more accurate incident location information.
	Research carried out on trial sections showed that response times of emergency service organisations were 10 per cent. quicker than previous responses to similar incidents. Getting the emergency services to the scene of an incident more efficiently ultimately leads to incidents being cleared more quickly.

Waterloo Station

Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress has been made on negotiations for franchise commuter train services arriving at and departing from at platform 20 at London Waterloo station; and when he expects those negotiations to be concluded.

Chris Mole: We are working with Network Rail to extend platforms at Waterloo station and across the whole south western network to increase capacity on some suburban routes from eight to ten carriage trains by 2014.
	As part of this, we are investigating how Waterloo and Waterloo International Terminal platforms 20 to 24 can be used to help increase capacity on the network. Work has been carried out on platform 20 and option development work is now progressing on other platforms and enhancing the tracks outside the station to support the increase in capacity.
	The Department for Transport is in discussion with Stagecoach South West Trains with regard to additional rolling stock and service enhancements for operating longer trains into Waterloo that are value for money and affordable for the taxpayer.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payment cheques were issued by the Rural Payments Agency for amounts less than  (a) £60,  (b) £40,  (c) £20,  (d) £10 and  (e) £1 in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2009.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of single payment scheme (SPS) cheque payments issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) for the bands and scheme years specified in the question are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of payments 
			  Band  SPS 2006  SPS 2007  SPS 2008( 1) 
			 £40.01-£60.00 2,417 807 299 
			 £20.01-£40.00 1,861 492 122 
			 £10.01-£20.00 546 69 14 
			 £1.01-£10.00 80 14 3 
			 £0.01-£1.00 2 6 3 
			 (1)( )A change in EU Regulations meant that RPA stopped making payments by cheque on 15 October 2008. All payments are now made via BACS. 
		
	
	Payment for the 2009 SPS scheme year commences on 1 December.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at how many premises registered to house  (a) cattle and  (b) camelids his officials have been refused entry for the purpose of bovine tuberculosis (i) testing, (ii) tracing and (iii) following up of confirmed disease in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA does not hold figures on the number of people who have refused entry to officials for the purpose of TB testing (including tracing tests).
	Movement Restrictions are placed on any farms which refuse to comply when cattle testing is overdue.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department and its predecessor of  (a) research into bovine tuberculosis,  (b) support from (i) local authority health officers and (ii) the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in respect of bovine tuberculosis and (c) any other support provided in respect of bovine tuberculosis (A) between 1986 and 1996 and (B) since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows.
	 Research
	The table provides a summary of TB research cost to the Department from 1998 to 2008-09 and the amount spent on the surveillance contract with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and on the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT).
	
		
			  TB expenditure on research between 1998 and 2009 (GB) 
			  £ million 
			   RBCT( 1)  VLA( 2)  Other research 
			 1998-99 2.9 1.9 2.5 
			 1999-2000 4.6 2.4 3.8 
			 2000-01 6.6 3.5 5.3 
			 2001-02 6 3.7 6.1 
			 2002-03 6.6 4.1 6.5 
			 2003-04 7.3 5.3 7 
			 2004-05 7.2 4.9 5.7 
			 2005-06 6.2 7.5 6.5 
			 2006-07 1.6 7.5 7.8 
			 2007-08 0.03 7 8.5 
			 2008-09 0 5.9 7.7 
			 (1) Figure does not include research into culling methods or the badger population survey (£709,400 in 2005-06 and £834,700 in 2006-07). (2 )Surveillance activity undertaken by the Veterinary Laboratory Agency (VLA) includes all DEFRA funded work carried out by the VLA relating to TB in cattle and badgers including the supply of Tuberculin.  Note: All financial data are actual expenditure only which have been incurred in the specified financial year. 
		
	
	A finance review of all bTB expenditure and income in the last 10 years has recently been undertaken. The review has validated all data associated with bovine Tuberculosis expenditure to improve the quality of data provided. As such the table above has been amended to reflect the outcome of the review. This is also available on the DEFRA website.
	We are unable to provide figures prior to 1998.
	 Council health officers and VLA
	DEFRA does not receive financial support from local council health officers or the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in respect of bovine tuberculosis, however we are committed to tackling this disease in partnership with all DEFRA's delivery bodies and the local authorities.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to bringing  (a) camelids,  (b) sheep,  (c) goats and  (d) pigs within the scope of the regulatory regime for control of tuberculosis in England.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA takes TB in all species, not just cattle, seriously and is committed to dealing with it. Existing legal provisions do allow DEFRA to restrict movements to and from any herd/flock of farmed (mammalian) species suspected of being infected by bovine tuberculosis-so as to reduce the risk of disease spread. In resolving TB problems in such species, DEFRA relies on the co-operation of animal owners to agree testing, slaughter and compensation arrangements.
	A review to identify possible new controls that might help better control TB risks to/from non-bovine species is in hand. Any new policy would need to be effective, affordable and proportionate to the animal and public health risks.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of average payment per head to abattoirs for the dispatch of bovine tuberculosis reactor, inconclusive or dangerous contact cattle  (a) between 1986 and 1996 and  (b) since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No such estimate has been made. For most cattle compulsorily slaughtered on TB control grounds, DEFRA has received a net payment from abattoirs rather than incurred a cost.
	Meat Hygiene Service officials inspect carcasses of such cattle when slaughtered in licensed abattoirs, a small proportion of TB affected cattle are condemned as unfit for human consumption e.g. if TB lesions are identified in more than one part of the carcase. In such cases DEFRA does makes a payment to the abattoir to cover its disposal costs. It is not possible to provide details of slaughter costs in the form requested: typically an abattoir will receive batches of cattle being slaughtered on disease control grounds rather than single animals-if one (or more) of these animals is condemned, the cost to DEFRA will be offset by the total salvage value received from those passed as fit for human consumption.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle have been slaughtered as bovine tuberculosis reactors, inconclusives or dangerous contacts in each financial year since 1986.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides the number of cattle slaughtered in England as bovine tuberculosis reactors, inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. Data for these three categories of reactors are available in calendar years for 1998 to 2008.
	I am unable to provide data for TB reactors, inconclusives or direct contacts before 1998.
	
		
			   Reactors slaughtered  Inconclusive reactors slaughtered  Direct contact reactors slaughtered  Total animals slaughtered under Bovine TB measures 
			 2008 26,038 487 930 27,455 
			 2007 18,543 444 807 19,794 
			 2006 14,585 361 1,061 16,007 
			 2005 20,145 413 2,577 23,135 
			 2004 15,093 351 1,862 17,306 
			 2003 15,120 454 1,977 17,551 
			 2002 15,482 580 2,381 18,443 
			 2001 3,804 154 480 4,438 
			 2000 6,029 210 951 7,190 
			 1999 5,929 250 863 7,042 
			 1998 4,102 201 724 5,027 
			  Note: 2008 data were downloaded from DEFRA's Animal Health database (Vetnet) on 2 March 2009. 2007-05 data were downloaded on 18 March 2008. 2004-1998 data were downloaded on 7 March 2006.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable he has set for the bovine tuberculosis vaccination of badgers project; and what steps he has taken to encourage  (a) farmers and  (b) landowners to participate in the project.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is as follows.
	 Timetable
	The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) has begun to sign up farmers in the selected areas to participate in the project, and contractors to carry out vaccination are being recruited though an EU tender. Vaccination will begin in summer 2010, when the vaccine is expected to be licensed, and will take place for at least five years in each area. Sign-up and vaccination in the areas will be phased in over two years to allow time to train contractors. A chart showing the phasing process will be placed in the Library shortly.
	 Encouraging f armers and landowners
	Communication is an important part of the project. Following is an outline of our communications which are aimed at informing all stakeholders of the details of the project and encouraging participation.
	DEFRA and Fera held meetings earlier this year with local vets and key regional representatives to inform them and enable vets to talk to their clients about the project. We have established a regular newsletter to keep local vets, regional representatives and others up to date.
	An inquiries phoneline and e-mail address have been set up and publicised.
	A new website has been launched, which gives an opportunity for farmers to sign up.
	Literature has been produced. This literature is also being distributed to farmers through DEFRA's Livestock Market Roadshow this autumn.
	The project team have given a presentation on the project to farmers at one local veterinary practice meeting, with opportunity for sign-up and will be doing the same with at least one further practice.
	To encourage farmers to participate, Fera are writing to all cattle farmers within the selected areas to invite them to apply to take part in the project and to attend local meetings to find out more. The first of these meetings has been held.
	Articles have been published in DEFRA's magazine for farmers and another is planned for the new year.

Departmental Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1810-11W, on departmental air travel, what the figures are for each entry in the table for which the abbreviation tbc was used.

Dan Norris: Responsibility for the provision of carbon offsetting data for Government Departments and other public sector bodies transferred to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on its creation in October 2008. I refer the right hon. Member to information on the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/whatwedo/icuk/cosoffsetting/govdata/govdata.aspx

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in June 2009.

Dan Norris: The percentage of invoices from suppliers the core-Department paid within 10 days of receipt in June, July, August 2009 was 99.8 per cent., 99.8 per cent. and 100 per cent. respectively.

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff there were in  (a) his Department's predecessor in 1997 and  (b) his Department on the latest date for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: The information is as follows:
	 (a) DEFRA's predecessor departments in 1997 were the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and the Department of the Environment. The number of staff employed by each Government Department and Agency in 1997 has been published by Cabinet Office (Tables 1A-1D) and is available on-line:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/Assets/css97_tcm6-2540.pdf
	 (b) The latest staffing figures are as at 30 June 2009 and are available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899Pos=ColRank=1Rank=422
	DEFRA was created on 8 June 2001 from MAFF and approximately 650 staff from the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). On 3 October 2008, approximately 320 DEFRA staff transferred to the newly-created Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Departmental Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many properties owned by his Department were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the bill for each was in each such year.

Dan Norris: The information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  DEFRA Freehold rate liabilities for 2005-10 
			   Number of properties  With a liability of (£) 
			 2005-06 32 3,301,468 
			 2006-07 31 3,442,168 
			 2007-08 40 5,408,038 
			 2008-09 40 4,196,976 
			 2009-10 35 4,442,386 
			 Total  20,791,036 
		
	
	
		
			  Empty property relief for 2005-10 
			   Number of properties  With a liability of (£) 
			 2005-06 2 24,095 
			 2006-07 3 13,477 
			 2007-08 1 1,006 
			 2008-09 1 94,551 
			 2009-10 n/a n/a 
			 Total  133,131

Departmental Pay

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many staff in his Department received remuneration including benefits of £100,000 or more in 2008-09;
	(2)  how many of his Department's staff received annual remuneration including benefits of £100,000 or more in 2008-09.

Dan Norris: The table shows the number of staff (excludes workers employed under a contract for services) who received remuneration(1), including benefits of £100,000 or more in 2008-09, in core-DEFRA and its Executive agencies, Animal Health (AH), Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA), Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA).
	(1) For the purposes of responding to the question, remuneration has been interpreted as including base salary, bonuses, allowances and superannuation costs.
	
		
			  Department/agency  Number of staff receiving remuneration, including benefits of £100,000 or more in 2008-09 
			 Core-DEFRA 75 
			 AH 4 
			 VMD 1 
			 MFA 1 
			 RPA 2 
			 VLA 3 
			 CEFAS 1 
			 FERA 4

Departmental Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last two years.

Dan Norris: The combined spend of core-DEFRA and the DEFRA executive agencies from information held centrally is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2007-08 5.58 
			 2008-09 5.32

Departmental Procurement

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made in implementing the recommendations of the Glover Report in its procurement processes.

Dan Norris: DEFRA's progress in implementing the 12 recommendations in the Glover Report is:
	R1. By 2010, contract opportunities above £20,000 across the whole public sector should be advertised electronically with standard indicative contract value ranges, and accessible through a single, free, easy to search online portal.
	This is being implemented as part of the DEFRA's Integated Commercial Strategy and will go live in 2010.
	R2. Government should issue all tender documentation electronically by 2010 and this should be kept as brief as possible. Businesses should be permitted to tender electronically for all public sector contracts by 2010; no paper only tenders should be required after this date, with an ambition for all tenders to be electronic by 2012.
	This too will be implemented as part of our Integrated Commercial Strategy We are planning to be fully compliant well in advance of the 2012 deadline.
	R3. Details of contract awardees should be published online in a standard format within 48 days of contract signature, accessible via the single portal by 2010.
	DEFRA has dedicated procurement pages on its external website and will include information on contracts awarded. It is DEFRA's intention to provide this information through the cross Government online portal.
	R4. Tendering opportunities thought especially suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises or consortia of SMEs should be flagged by the procurer during the advertising process. Government should provide strategic and detailed guidance for procuring authorities on assessing suitable contracts for flagging, based on risk, value and market maturity.
	Tendering opportunities for Government contracts are governed by the principles of Managing Public Money and the public procurement directives. DEFRA very much welcomes the participation of SMEs either individually or collectively. It is a key element of our Integrated Commercial Strategy to maximise the diversity of our supplier base including SMEs or consortia thereof and the structuring of all procurements will be done in such a way as to encourage this. We will also be encouraging prime contractors to optimise the use of SMEs in their sub-contracting.
	R5. Qualification criteria that are not specific to a sector should be standardised and incorporated in all pre-qualification questionnaires so that businesses do not need to repeatedly submit the same core information in different formats.
	DEFRA has included this as a requirement within the Integrated Commercial Strategy. Technical solutions for storing and disseminating supplier data and criteria are being considered as part of this process. It is expected that this will be fully in place by late autumn 2010.
	R6. Procurers should give businesses the opportunity to provide details of all previous relevant experience when bidding for contracts, not just public sector experience. This should be taken into account when selecting successful tenderers.
	DEFRA has already introduced this within current tender processes.
	R7. Procurers should ensure that, where they rely on a particular accreditation scheme or standard as part of the process of prequalification or contract award, that they take a flexible approach. Businesses should be given the opportunity to provide evidence that they can meet the contract requirements by reference to other similar equivalent accreditations or standards they may already hold-especially where these have been recognised or required by other public sector procurers.
	DEFRA has already introduced this within current tender processes.
	R8. Departments should use their Innovation Procurement Plans to set out how procurement aligns with their overall commercial strategy, encourages innovation and gives advanced notice of long-term procurement plans.
	DEFRA is finalising an Innovation Procurement Plan and expect to be able to issue this as part of its Integrated Commercial Strategy. Innovation in procurement is itself one of the key objectives of developing this strategy.
	R9. Government should encourage wider use of outcome-based specifications across the public sector, as a means of driving innovation.
	DEFRA has already introduced this within current tender processes.
	R10. Government should expect and enable prime contractors to make their subcontracting opportunities accessible through the single, online portal created in Recommendation 1.
	DEFRA will be encouraging this as part of its Integrated Commercial Strategy.
	R11. Through contract management, Government should ensure that SMEs and other firms acting as sub-contractors obtain contract conditions, including promptness of payment terms that are no worse than those applicable to the prime contractor.
	DEFRA already includes this requirement within all major contracts and is incorporating it into standard terms and conditions for all contracts.
	R12. The Committee recommends that all central Government Departments should report annually on the value of their contract spend with SMEs, creating a reliable single source of quantitative data which can be used to inform future policy decisions and evaluate the recommendations in this report.
	DEFRA now has a system in place that allows it to record full records of its suppliers including a classification for SMEs. It is expected that reporting will be available by or before March 2010.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: The Department has been asked by the Office of Government Commerce to provide them by the end of financial year 2009-10 with the actual figure and percentage of departmental third party expenditure via small and medium sized enterprises as prime contractors and where they have been engaged through a departmental or pan-governmental framework agreement. This information is being compiled and the analysis will be included in DEFRA's 2010 departmental report.

Departmental Travel

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on  (a) Ministerial cars and drivers,  (b) taxis,  (c) train travel,  (d) the use of helicopters,  (e) airline tickets and  (f) chartered aeroplanes in each year since 1997.

Dan Norris: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The Government Car and Despatch Agency is responsible for providing ministerial cars and drivers. I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Mole) of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 1218-1220W.
	From information held centrally, the core-Department's expenditure on taxis for the financial year 2006-07 onwards is:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2006-07 268,095 
			 2007-08 346,458 
			 2008-09 299,401 
			 2009-10 to September 59,996 
		
	
	From information held centrally, the core-Department's expenditure on air and train travel from July 2006 is:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Air  Rail 
			 July 2006-March 2007 1,107,106 1,868,731 
			 April 2007-March 2008 1,505,097 1,978,850 
			 April 2008-March 2009 1,049,256 1,733,417 
			 April 2009-August 2009 663,886 936,916 
		
	
	There is no information held centrally on the use of helicopters and chartered aeroplanes.

Dogs

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many attacks by dogs on people of each age category were reported in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences under section 3(1) and 3(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table. The information provides both the number of cases where injuries were inflicted and also the number of cases where no injuries were inflicted.
	The Court Proceedings Database held by the Ministry of Justice does not hold specific information on the age of the victims beyond descriptions provided by the statutes under which prosecutions are brought.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for selected offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, England and Wales 2003 - 07( 1,2) 
			Found guilty 
			  Offence description  Section of the Act  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person S.3(1) 302 350 403 458 456 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused S.3(1) 171 167 168 160 205 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person S.3(3) 33 25 25 29 27 
			 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person S.3(3) 10 5 9 11 15 
			 Total  516 547 605 658 703 
			 (1) The number proceeded against and number found guilty statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis unit-Office for Criminal Justice

Domestic Waste: Fixed Penalties

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to issue new statutory guidance to waste collection authorities to curtail the issuing of fixed penalty notices against households for minor breaches of the rules in relation to the disposal of household waste.

Dan Norris: Local authorities are not obliged by Government or the guidance we issue to impose fixed penalties. While we would expect them to be proportionate in their use of these powers, how they use these powers is entirely a matter for individual local authorities.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have introduced wheeled refuse containers for the collection of household waste, according to records held by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Dan Norris: I have placed the list of local authorities operating residual collections in wheeled bins for 2008-09 in the Library of the House.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2009,  Official Report, column 229W, on the Futuresource Conference, what the cost of the quantitative and qualitative research commissioned by the Waste and Resources Action Programme on Principles of a good collection service was; and which contractors provided the research.

Dan Norris: The quantitative and qualitative research, carried out by Brook Lyndhurst and ICM on behalf of the Local Government Association and the Waste and Resources Action Programme, cost £38,600. The research was to ensure that the principles of a good recycling service, called for by the fifth report (2006-07) of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, were firmly based on evidence of the views and priorities of the public.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance or advice the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has issued on the operation of  (a) closed-lid policies and  (b) no side waste policies in respect of the collection of household waste, other than in its guidance on alternative weekly collections.

Dan Norris: WRAP has published no additional guidance on either subject.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what pilot programmes involving the weighing of household refuse containers have been supported by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme to date.

Dan Norris: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has supported pilot programmes involving the weighing of household refuse containers.
	However, WRAP is preparing a review of such weighing systems to assess their suitability for use in reward schemes such as 'Recyclebank.'

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued on the use of (a) 140 litre and (b) 240 litre household wheeled refuse containers.

Dan Norris: The Government believe local authorities are best placed to make waste management strategy decisions for their local areas. It has issued no such guidance but does encourage local authorities to consult extensively with residents to ensure their opinions and preferences are taken into consideration.
	WRAP has issued no such guidance.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Waste and Resources Action Programme has made of household waste collections in overseas countries on  (a) three-weekly or  (b) four-weekly collection cycles.

Dan Norris: No such assessment has been made by the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Food: Origin Marking

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in his Department's discussions with supermarkets on a voluntary scheme for country of origin food labelling.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA Ministers have raised the issue of country of origin labelling with the representatives of the main supermarkets. The supermarkets have agreed to comply with the Food Standards Agency's guidance on this issue.
	The pigmeat and pigmeat products sector is of particular public concern. A sub-group of the Pig Meat Supply Chain Task Force that was established by DEFRA in March to include all elements of the supply chain, is in the process of drafting an industry wide voluntary code of practice on origin labelling with the aim of implementing it early next year.

Hill Farming

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely prospects for financial viability in the hill farming sector in the next 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Secretary of State has not made any particular assessment of the financial viability of the hill farming sector in the next 10 years.
	Shortly, we will publish the most recent data from the Farm Business survey showing farm incomes by farm type, including hill farms, in the year ended February 2009.
	Early next year, DEFRA will be publishing forecasts of farm income in England for the year ending February 2010, by farm type, including hill farms.

Litter

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policies his Department has in place to reduce levels of littering in England.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Local Environment Quality Surveys for England since 2001 show that while there has been some improvement in that time nearly a fifth of areas surveyed still fall below satisfactory levels for litter and about a quarter of people surveyed admit to littering. Each year the Government funds the campaigning charity Keep Britain Tidy (£5 million in 2009-10) to raise awareness of the problem, campaign for changes in behaviour and offer technical support and advice to national, regional and local government.
	Local authorities, who have a legal duty to clear litter from public places, have been given the powers they need to tackle those that litter, most recently through provisions in the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005. Information and guidance is provided to local authorities to help them to improve their enforcement and street cleansing services.

Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what projects are being funded by the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund in 2009-10.

Dan Norris: Projects commissioned in 2008-09 and drawing funds from the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund in 2009-10 are:
	
		
			   Project 
			 MEPF 08/02 Marine Aggregate Integrated Assessment. 
			 MEPF 08/P14 Marine Aggregates supply as part of a sustainable mix. 
			 MEPF 08/P27 Derek the Dredger and the Marine Biologists. 
			 MEPF 08/P33 Mitigation of Marine Aggregate Dredging Impacts-Benchmarking Equipment, Practices and Technologies against Global Best Practice. 
			 MEPF 08/P37 Effects of aggregate dredging on marine food web structure and function. 
			 MEPF 08/P39 Impacts of Marine Aggregate Extraction on Adjacent Sabellaria spinulosa aggregations and Other Benthic Fauna. 
			 MEPF 08/P40 Dredging Impacts Verified in Relation to Scientific Evidence(DIVERSE). 
			 MEPF 08/P64 Developing new ground truthing techniques for seabed mapping. 
			 MEPF 08/P70 The development and application of an instrument array to measure the concentration of silt and sand in the overflow from aggregate dredgers. 
			 MEPF 08/P73 Assessment of the distribution and intensity of fishing activities in the vicinity of aggregate extraction sites. 
			 MEPF 08/P75 Best Practice Workshop and Guidelines on Aggregate Ecological Assessments. 
			 MEPF 08/P76 Measuring the effects of suspended particulate matter and smothering on the behaviour, growth and survival of key species found in areas associated with aggregate dredging. 
			 MEPF REC 08/01 2007 REC Data Projects: Analysis and Interpretation Thames Region. 
			 MEPF REC 08/02 2007 REC Data Projects: Analysis and Interpretation South Coast Region. 
			 MEPF REC 08/03 Humber Regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) Programme. 
			 MEPF REC 08/04 East Coast Regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) Programme. 
			 MEPF 07/S05 Communications and Dissemination Co-ordination of MEPF Activities. 
			 MEPF 08/S04-05 Marine ALSF Science Co-ordination Services. 
			 MEPF 08/S04-07 Marine ALSF GIS-enhancements II. 
			 MEPF 08/S05 Fisheries Liaison Co-ordination (Onshore and Offshore) Services for the Regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) Surveys to be conducted in the East Coast and Humber regions. 
			 MEPF 08/S07-03 Project Co-ordination of the Marine ALSF Regional Environmental Characterisation Studies. 
		
	
	A further nine projects are in the process of being commissioned from the Fund in 2009-10 and contracts for these projects have yet to be finalised.
	Details of all current and completed projects funded by the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund are published on the MALSF website at:
	http://www.alsf-mepf.org.uk/projects/current-projects.aspx

Milk: Prices

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the average  (a) farm gate price,  (b) price given to processors and  (c) supermarket price of a pint of milk in each of the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 19 October 2009
	The following tables show monthly UK farm gate and retail milk prices. No information is available on prices paid at all other points in the supply chain.
	The farm gate price is calculated from monthly surveys of milk purchasers conducted in England and Wales by DEFRA, in Scotland by The Scottish Government Rural and Environment Research and Analysis Directorate (RERAD) and in Northern Ireland by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development DARD. The farm gate price is the average price received by producers, net of delivery charges. No deduction has been made for superlevy.
	
		
			  UK farm gate milk price 
			   Units: pence per pint 
			 September 2008 15 
			 October 2008 16 
			 November 2008 15 
			 December 2008 15 
			 January 2009 15 
			 February 2009 14 
			 March 2009 14 
			 April 2009 13 
			 May 2009 12 
			 June 2009 13 
			 July 2009 13 
			 August 2009 13 
			  Source: DEFRA. 
		
	
	The average retail price of milk published by the Office for National Statistics represents the average across all outlets (including delivered milk) rather than just supermarkets.
	
		
			  UK  average retail price of pasteurised whole milk 
			   Units: pence per pint 
			 September 2008 42 
			 October 2008 45 
			 November 2008 45 
			 December 2008 45 
			 January 2009 45 
			 February 2009 44 
			 March 2009 44 
			 April 2009 44 
			 May 2009 44 
			 June 2009 44 
			 July 2009 44 
			 August 2009 44 
			  Source: ONS.

Noise: Pollution Control

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made on implementing its plans for a noise reduction strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The implementation of the Environmental Noise Directive (END) has been the Department's main focus of activity regarding noise. In meeting the requirements of the END, we are progressing Noise Action Plans, and this is helping to refine existing policy as evidence on the effects of noise continues to emerge. The Government are in the process of consolidating their longer term noise management policies, some of which can be found in the draft noise action plans, and determining how these could be best delivered.

Pet Travel Scheme

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will conduct a risk assessment of the extent to which the importation of dogs infected with echinococcus multilocularis might be increased if the requirement for treatment with Praziquantel under the Pet Travel Scheme were relaxed.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The European Commission's proposal for an 18-month extension to the derogation which allows the UK to operate its current pet movement controls also includes provisions for the control of other diseases, such as echinococcus multilocularis. The Government will need to conduct a risk assessment to assess UK exposure to the parasite if the requirement for Praziquantel tapeworm treatment is removed. Should the evidence justify it, this would form part of the case to retain current controls.

Rural Areas: Low Incomes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) English farming households and  (b) households in rural areas with incomes below the low income threshold.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows:
	 (a) In 2007-08 for England, 25 per cent. of farm households were below the modified low income threshold (gross income before housing costs).
	 (b) In 2007-08 for England 18 per cent. of rural households were below the low income threshold (gross income before housing costs).

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding  (a) his Department and  (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided to Project Reduce to undertake studies of the contents of household refuse containers in the last 12 months.

Dan Norris: No funding for the undertaking of studies of the contents of households refuse containers has been provided by DEFRA to Project Reduce in the last 12 months. The Waste and Resources Action Programme had no involvement in this project.

Waste Management

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable has been set for the Environment Agency to establish its new online waste data tracking system.

Dan Norris: The Environment Agency is developing new web-based data reporting software called 'Generic Operator Returns'. This will provide a more efficient and up-to-date method for businesses to provide data to the Environment Agency. Following a successful trial implementation, external web data entry will be phased in from January 2010.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment: Autism

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of adults with autism in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) London Borough of Bexley that are in (i) part-time and (ii) full-time employment.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested is not available.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claims for employment and support allowance took  (a) fewer than 11 days,  (b) between 11 and 40 days and (c) over 40 days to process in each month since the scheme came into operation.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 14 September 2009
	We are currently exploring whether we can develop some official statistics on processing times for Employment and Support Allowance new claims in the near future.

Incapacity Benefit

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of people leaving incapacity benefit began claiming  (a) incapacity benefit again and  (b) employment and support allowance within a year of leaving the benefit in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and of those people what percentage were aged (i) 18 to 24, (ii) 25 to 49 and (iii) 50 years and over in each year.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 14 September 2009
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

Pension Funds: Trustees

Frank Doran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research she has  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned on the (i) costs, (ii) feasibility and (iii) effects on pension schemes of implementation proposals to require a minimum 50 per cent. member nominated trustees on the boards of pension funds.

Angela Eagle: The Department has commissioned a qualitative research study into the costs, feasibility and effects of any potential move to require pension scheme trustee boards to have 50 per cent. member-nominated trustees. The research contractor (BMRB) has now completed interviews with employers, scheme representatives and trade union representatives and is preparing a research report. This is expected to be published in the spring of 2010.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) employment and support allowance,  (c) severe disablement allowance and  (d) income support for incapacity undertook permitted work in each of the last 10 years as applicable.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance or income support claimants with permitted work 
			  Year ending  February each year   Number  Proportion (percentage) 
			 2003 Incapacity benefit 10,600 0.4 
			  Severe disablement allowance 1,400 0.4 
			  Income support 600 - 
			 2004 Incapacity benefit 27,600 1.1 
			  Severe disablement allowance 6,700 2.1 
			  Income support 500 - 
			 2005 Incapacity benefit 31,300 1.3 
			  Severe disablement allowance 7,400 2.4 
			  Income support 600 - 
			 2006 Incapacity benefit 35,300 1.4 
			  Severe disablement allowance 8,000 2.7 
			  Income support 600 - 
			 2007 Incapacity benefit 39,100 1.6 
			  Severe disablement allowance 8,300 3.0 
			  Income support 600 - 
			 2008 Incapacity benefit 40,000 1.7 
			  Severe disablement allowance 8,400 3.1 
			  Income support 800 - 
			 2009 Incapacity benefit 39,000 1.8 
			  Severe disablement allowance 8,600 3.4 
			  Income support 600 - 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are produced from 5 per cent. sample data and have been uprated to be in line with the 100 per cent. proportions. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Proportions are rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place. 4. - denotes nil or negligible. 5. Data not available in respect of employment and support allowance. 6. Income support permitted work cases are those where the claimant is disabled and earning less than £20 per week. 7. Those claimants with incapacity benefit who are also receiving income support are included in the incapacity benefit figures to avoid double counting. 8. Information on permitted work has only been available since the November 2002 quarter. 9. Permitted work categories (current rates): a. Permitted Work Lower Level (up to £20 per week for unlimited period). b. Supported Permitted Work (up to £93 per week for unlimited period (*supported)). c. Permitted Work Higher Limit (up to £93 per week and  16 hours for up to 26 weeks). d. Permitted Work Higher Limit Subsequent (PWHL after 52 week gap (*supported)). e. * The support must be given by a person employed by a public or local authority or voluntary organisation.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.

PRIME MINISTER

Serious Fraud Office

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has received representations in respect of the current investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into BAE Systems.

Gordon Brown: This is a matter for the Serious Fraud Office.

CABINET OFFICE

Advertising Advisory Committee

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 624W, on the Advertising Advisory Committee, if she will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each Government Strategic Marketing Advisory Board meeting in the last 12 months, redacting commercially confidential elements.

Angela Smith: holding answer 14 September 2009
	Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not the normal practice of government to disclose detailed information in respect of such discussions.

Damian McBride

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she last met Mr. Damian McBride in the course of her official duties.

Tessa Jowell: I have not met Damian McBride in the course of my ministerial duties since his resignation on 11 April 2009.

Forfeiture Committee

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on which dates the Forfeiture Committee has met since 1 January 2009.

Tessa Jowell: The Forfeiture Committee conducts most of its business in correspondence, but plans to meet on an annual basis to review the year's cases and discuss matters of policy. The Committee has met once in 2009, on 23 September. The subjects discussed by the Committee remain confidential.

Former Ministers: Pay

Michael Meacher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information her Department holds on the level of remuneration made to former Ministers given permission to take private sector jobs within two years of leaving office.

Tessa Jowell: The Ministerial Code requires that former Ministers must seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments or employment they wish to take up within two years of leaving office, apart from unpaid appointments in non-commercial organisations. There is no requirement for former Ministers to reveal details of their proposed remuneration packages.

Government Departments: Power of Information Taskforce

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance she has issued to Government departments on the implementation of the fee recommendations of the final report of the Power of Information Taskforce published on 2 March 2009.

Tessa Jowell: Following recommendation 10 of the Power of Information Taskforce report, the National Archives drafted new, tighter criteria for the application of fees for the provision of public sector information. This draft was published on 28 July 2009 on their blog PSI Perspectives
	http://perspectives.opsi.gov.uk/
	for public comment. The National Archives has also written to Departments drawing their attention to these draft criteria.

Government Departments: Power of Information Taskforce

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what mechanism is in place to track progress made by Government departments in implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Power of Information Taskforce, published on 2 March 2009.

Tessa Jowell: The Power of Information Taskforce sets out the strategic actions needed to harness the power of Web 2.0 technologies to improve the way Government communicates with citizens, with the aim of making policy making more collaborative and open.
	The Director for Digital Engagement within the Cabinet Office works across Government Departments to encourage, support and challenge Departments in moving from communicating to citizens on the web, to conversing and collaborating with them through digital technology to improve the delivery of public services. As part of this role he is responsible for tracking the implementation of the Power of Information Taskforce report.

Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether her Department plans to make a submission to the Scottish Executive's National Conversation consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

Tessa Jowell: The Cabinet Office has not submitted evidence to the Scottish Government's National Conversation.
	The Commission on Scottish Devolution was established by majority vote in the Scottish Parliament and with the full support of the UK Government. UK Departments submitted evidence to the Commission during its first phase of evidence gathering.
	The Commission recently published its final report, which can be found here:
	http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/uploads/2009-06-12-csd-final-report-2009fbookmarked.pdf
	A steering group has been established under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Scotland to help the UK Government and the Scottish Parliament plan how to take forward the Calman recommendations and deliver stronger devolution within a stronger United Kingdom.

Suicide

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what suicide rates in each local authority area were in each of the last four years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply to the hon. Member. A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Day

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Merchant Navy Association on its involvement in Armed Forces Day 2010.

Bob Ainsworth: While I have not had direct discussions, I can confirm that the Merchant Navy Association are part of the Armed Forces Day 2010 Steering Group, and were in attendance at the first meeting held in Cardiff on 22 September 2009.
	I can also confirm that an invitation will be extended to the Merchant Navy Association to attend and participate in Armed Forces Day events across the United Kingdom, including the National Event in Cardiff.

Colombia: Military Aid

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 November 1999,  Official Report, column 115W, on Colombia, whether  (a) advisory visits and  (b) information exchanges between the UK and Colombia on operations in urban theatres, counter guerrilla strategy and psychiatry continue to take place.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 October 2009
	Advisory visits and information exchanges between the UK and Colombia on operations in urban theatres, counter guerrilla strategy and psychiatry no longer take place.

Defence Equipment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps he has taken to ensure that all troops are properly equipped for each of their duties.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence is focused on ensuring our armed forces continue to be provided with the equipment they need for the conduct of operations in Afghanistan, our main effort. So far this financial year we have approved £410 million on Urgent Operational Requirements, a large proportion of which has been for Force Protection and to counter the threat from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). New equipments, including vehicles, continue to be delivered as quickly as possible.

Defence Medical Services: Manpower

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the current shortfall is of each rank of medical personnel available for active service; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow rates were of medical personnel in each of the three services in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Manning statistics for the Defence Medical Services are updated twice a year, in April and October. The October 2009 figures are currently being collated, and verified figures should be available by the end of November. I will place these figures in the Library of the House.

Departmental Procurement

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department next plans to renew its procurement processes.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence keeps its procurement processes under continuous review. At the strategic level we plan to publish a Strategy for Defence Acquisition in the new year which will take forward many of the recommendations in the report by Bernard Gray which was published on 15 October 2009.

Ex-Servicemen: Crime

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department plans to take to seek to reduce the number of armed forces veterans in the criminal justice system.

Kevan Jones: The MOD's comprehensive resettlement package provides graduated re-training and advice on future careers, financial planning, access to housing and other benefits. For those considered vulnerable to social exclusion, we work closely with ex-service and wider charitable organisations, Communities and Local Government and the Devolved Administrations to reduce the potential of turning to crime by helping them finding a home, access appropriate health care and finding work.
	If a veteran of the armed forces is imprisoned, the Veterans Prison In-Reach Group aims to raise awareness among the ex-service prison population of the help and support available to them and their immediate families while they serve their sentence and as they prepare for release. As well as the Ministry of Defence, the Group consists of the National Offender Management Service in the Ministry of Justice, The Royal British Legion, SSAFA Forces Help, Combat Stress, the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, Action for Prisoners' Families, Her Majesty's Prison representatives, and representatives from the Devolved Administrations. Together, they work to explore new ways of better assisting veterans in prison, with the overall aim of reducing re-offending.

Nuclear Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the merits of reducing the number of nuclear warheads in the United Kingdom stockpile; what technical capability exists in the UK to dismantle redundant warheads; and whether the UK is able to make use of US expertise on this matter.

Bob Ainsworth: The Government are committed to retaining only the minimum credible nuclear deterrent capability. We regularly review the number of warheads in the UK stockpile in that light.
	The UK technical capability to disassemble warheads is exercised and maintained at a level appropriate to enable effective warhead surveillance, essential stockpile maintenance and the timely disassembly of the stockpile should the need arise.
	We do not rely on US capabilities to dismantle UK warheads. However, the UK has regular specialist technical exchanges with the US through the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement. These exchanges include warhead disassembly, to share best practice and experience.

Territorial Army: Finance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he decided to implement reductions in the budget available for the Territorial Army before the end of the 2009-10 financial year.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 19 October 2009
	This year is very challenging in resource terms, and success in Afghanistan must take priority. As much as the Regular forces, the Reserves must now focus available resources on supporting the ongoing campaign in Afghanistan, which means reducing activity levels elsewhere. These savings have been recommended by the Army and accepted by the Secretary of State. This is about putting today's operations first.
	The measures that have been the subject of recent parliamentary debate and media reporting are specific to this financial year and reflect the fact that we are rightly focusing resources on the main effort, Afghanistan. And that means also focusing on forces currently deployed and the next roulement. But we have not taken these decisions without understanding potential risks, and we are absolutely determined that any risks to deployments to Afghanistan in 2012 will not be allowed to materialise. The Prime Minister is clear that the mission to Afghanistan will have all the resources and backing it needs to succeed.
	We remain committed to ensuring that we have Reserve forces that meet the needs of Defence, today and tomorrow. Discussions about future training for the TA will be based on the requirement to preserve its ability to support regular forces on operations, and on ensuring that TA soldiers are properly equipped and trained.
	Those reserves deploying over the next year will of course continue to be paid for the training they do to prepare them for their deployment, as well as for the deployment itself. This training will vary for individuals, depending on the task they will be required to do and their current skill set. This pre-deployment training is not being cut back. It will continue to be validated at the Reserves Training and Mobilisation Centre at Chilwell, before individuals are mobilised to join a formed unit for an extended period of training ahead of operations. It cannot be said enough; no soldier will be allowed to deploy to Afghanistan without the necessary training and equipment, whatever their trade, whether regular or reserve.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Corruption

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment the Attorney-General has made of whether the terms of Article 5 of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions are binding when considering whether to consent to prosecute British companies and individuals in relation to allegations of overseas corruption.

Vera Baird: In considering an application for consent to the institution of criminal proceedings, the Attorney-General considers whether or not a prosecution would be in the public interest, in accordance with accepted prosecutorial principles. For the purposes of the 2005 UK phase 2 report of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, the then Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith confirmed that none of the factors listed in article 5 would be taken into account by him as public interest factors justifying a decision not to give consent. The present Attorney-General takes the same approach, and abides by article 5.

JUSTICE

Domestic Violence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) longest,  (b) average and  (c) shortest waiting period for entry into a domestic violence perpetrator programme was in each probation area in each year since such programmes were introduced.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service are currently collating the requested information and I hope to shortly be in a position to write to the hon. Member before Prorogation.

Drugs: Crime

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were  (a) prosecuted,  (b) convicted and  (c) imprisoned for dealing (i) cannabis and (ii) ecstasy in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people were  (a) found guilty and  (b) sentenced to immediate custody for the unlawful importation of a controlled drug in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners were serving sentences for drug-related offences in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for 'possession with intent to supply' and 'supplying or offering to supply' cannabis and ecstasy in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in table 1.
	The number of defendants found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for unlawful importation of a controlled drug in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2007, is shown in table 2.
	The statistics given in tables 1 and 2 relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	The number of males and females serving sentences in prison establishments in England and Wales for drug offences from 1997 to 2009 (as at 30 June each year) is shown in table 3.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for 'possession with intent to supply' and 'supplying or offering to supply' cannabis and ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine-MDMA) in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007 
			   1997  1998  1999 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 3,275 2,499 1,129 3,223 2,648 1,284 2,917 2,246 1,112 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,788 1,414 650 1,830 1,442 656 1,580 1,168 573 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 787 544 410 410 304 217 693 451 338 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): MDMA. 442 310 228 308 246 179 408 231 173 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 2,169 1,802 808 1,799 1,358 618 1,787 1,388 547 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,001 842 405 794 613 265 758 592 258 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 1,081 736 520 1,352 960 690 1,064 830 578 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): MDMA. 545 327 234 528 376 252 399 365 216 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 2,050 1,470 475 1,525 1,247 420 1,588 993 272 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis resin. 740 522 222 617 456 156 588 393 135 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 947 746 461 726 603 394 649 557 342 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): MDMA. 306 219 127 261 172 100 245 187 91 
		
	
	
		
			   2006  200 7 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: Cannabis and cannabis resin. 1,594 957 240 1,614 958 232 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): Cannabis and cannabis resin. 622 385 101 554 367 101 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: MDMA. 582 434 256 592 513 276 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): MDMA. 207 169 81 217 169 73 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Following reclassification in January 2004 to a class C drug, statutory maximum penalty for possession of cannabis was downgraded from five to two years.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Evidence and Analysis unit 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The number of defendants found guilty at ail courts and sentenced to immediate custody for unlawful importation of a controlled drug in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1,2,3) 
			  Number of defendants 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Unlawful importation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 1,239 974 1,190 1,032 1,171 1,072 1,165 1,115 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of defendants 
			   200 1  2002  2003  2004 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody( 4)  Found guilty  Immediate custody( 4) 
			 Unlawful importation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 1,648 1,511 1,599 1,588 1,063 1,075 975 977 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of defendants 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Found guilty  Immediate custody 
			 Unlawful importation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 1,026 979 835 787 783 762 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) The immediate custody column exceeds those found guilty, as it may be the case that a defendant was found guilty in one year and sentenced in the following year.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Evidence and Analysis unit 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: The number of males and females serving sentences in all prison establishments in England and Wales for drug offences (as at 30 June each year), from 1997 to 2009 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  Males  
			 Immediate custodial sentence 46,611 49,793 48,862 50,434 51,272 53,936 55,919 57,475 58,703 59,898 62,188 64,600 64,993 
			 Drug offences 6,483 7,099 7,294 7,526 8,010 8,749 8,988 9,252 9,427 9,484 9,569 9,992 9,803 
			 Drug offences as percentage of all 14 14 15 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 15 15 
			   
			  Females  
			 Immediate custodial sentence 2,063 2,366 2,431 2,659 2,897 3,336 3,474 3,449 3,476 3,506 3,345 3,524 3,382 
			 Drug offences 691 794 875 947 1,137 1,317 1,342 1,235 1,234 1,163 1,044 990 893 
			 Drug offences as percentage of all 33 34 36 36 39 39 39 36 36 33 31 28 26 
			  Source: Figures taken from Offender Management Caseload Statistics, table 7.2 for 2007 and 2008 up to the year 2008 and from monthly Ministry of Justice Bulletin for June 2009

Electoral Systems: Armed Forces

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many of those serving in HM Armed Forces are not eligible to vote; and for what reasons;
	(2)  how many of those serving in HM Armed Forces in Afghanistan will not be eligible to vote in the next general election; and for what reasons;
	(3)  what preparations have been made to ensure that those serving in HM Armed Forces in Afghanistan are able to vote in the next UK general election.

Michael Wills: A person is eligible to vote in a parliamentary general election if they are:
	aged 18 or over on polling day (a person can register once they are 16 but cannot vote until their 18th birthday);
	a British or Commonwealth citizen resident in the UK;
	or a citizen of the Irish Republic resident in the UK.
	At 1 September 2009 the trained strength of the UK armed forces was 174,570. As at 14 October 2009, there are 9,760 personnel in the armed forces whose records show they are not eligible to vote in a general election. There are 400 personnel in the armed forces serving in Afghanistan whose records show they are not eligible to vote in the next general election.
	The Government are committed to facilitating the participation of all service personnel in the next general election. A current campaign run by the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Defence involves every armed forces unit, raising awareness of registration for service personnel and their families. To further support this work, the Government have announced that they will extend the service declaration period from three to five years as soon as parliamentary time allows. I recently met armed forces families' representatives and I have written to invite MPs with service establishments in their constituencies to meet with me and give their views on improvements to service voting arrangements. At present, the legislation allows service voters to vote by post or by proxy: we are working with the MOD and the Electoral Commission to ensure that we have in place the most effective measures to support participation among service personnel.

Jury Service

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were summoned for jury service in each year since 1997; and how many and what proportion were disqualified, broken down by reason for disqualification;
	(2)  what proportion of those summoned for jury service were disqualified on each ground for disqualification in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: The following table provides information from the Jury Central Summoning Board on the number of people summoned for jury service in the Crown court from 2001 to 2008. The table also provides information on the number of people who did not qualify for jury service.
	As the number of disqualifications reported for a given year may include disqualifications for summons that were issued in previous years, a direct proportion of the total summons issued cannot be calculated. Information prior to 2001 is not available.
	Numbers on disqualifications are classified into the three different groups. A more detailed breakdown is not available.
	Annual statistics on jury summons are published by the Ministry of Justice in the annual command paper Judicial and Court Statistics. The most recent edition, presenting statistics for 2008, was published in September 2009. Copies are available in the Library of the House and from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/judicialandcourtstatistics.htm
	
		
			  Number of people summoned for jury service in the Crown  c ourt, 2001 - 08( 1) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Total number of summons issued 579,473 492,561 461,980 431,432 388,154 390,671 412,666 416,689 
			 Disqualified-residency, mental disorders, criminality 118,339 105,314 98,045 89,112 77,364 85,061 94,171 96,325 
			 Disqualified-on selection 48,271 59,892 58,830 55,410 49,765 53,031 58,900 72,854 
			 Disqualified-failed Police National Computer check 69 160 139 148 193 185 207 103 
			 (1) The number of disqualifications reported for a given year may include disqualifications for summons that were issued in previous years. Therefore, disqualifications as a percentage of the total number of summons issued within a year cannot be calculated.  Source: Jury Central Summoning Board

Pleural Plaques: Compensation

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Jarrow of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 741, on pleural plaques, when he plans to publish a final response to the issue of compensation for people diagnosed with pleural plaques; and what recent representations he has received from the UCATT union on its members who have been exposed to asbestos contamination at work.

Bridget Prentice: The House of Lords decision has raised extremely complex and difficult issues which have required very careful consideration within Government. It has also been important to look beyond the issue of pleural plaques itself to consider how people who have been exposed to asbestos can be supported much more widely. We are actively considering all these issues in order to be in a position to publish a final response as soon as possible.
	The Justice Secretary has received several representations from UCATT on asbestos related issues.

Pleural Plaques: Compensation

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to announce his decision on compensation for those with pleural plaques; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The House of Lords decision has raised extremely complex and difficult issues which have required very careful consideration within Government. It has also been important to look beyond the issue of pleural plaques itself to consider how people who have been exposed to asbestos can be supported much more widely. We are actively considering all these issues in order to be in a position to publish a final response as soon as possible.

Prison Sentences

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the imprisonment rate was per 100,000 population in England and Wales in each year since 2001;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the imprisonment rate per 100,000 population in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Northern Ireland and  (c) the European Union area.

Maria Eagle: The following table gives information on the numbers of prisoners in all prison establishments with prison population ratios in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 2001-08, and the average prison population ratio per 100,000 for the European Union where this published information is held within the Ministry of Justice.
	The figures are derived from the tables provided in the annual publications Prison Statistics in England and Wales 2001-02, and Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2003-08. These publications can be found at the following website, and copies are held within the House of Commons Library:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	
		
			  Rate of prison population per 100,000 of general population 2001-08, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 
			England and Wales  Northern Ireland  Scotland  Average EU 
			 2001 Prison population 67,056 910 6,137 - 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 127 51 115 - 
			 2002 Prison population 71,324 1,026 6,404 - 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 137 61 126 92 
			 2003 Prison population 72,992 1,160 6,524 - 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 138 70 131 - 
			 2004 Prison population 75,057 1,274 6,805 - 
			 2005 Rate per 100,000 population 142 72 133 130 
			 2006 Prison population 76,896 1,301 6,792 - 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 144 76 133 - 
			 2006 Prison population 79,085 1,433 7,111 - 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 147 82 139 - 
			 2007 Prison population 80,692 1,468 7,291 - 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 149 83 142 123 
			 2008 Prison population 83,406 1,507 7,741 - 
			  Rate per 100,000 population 153 85 150 124 
		
	
	The averages for the European Union are not strictly comparable due to the 2004 and 2007 enlargements.

Prisoners Release

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for release from custody relating to people who pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility were approved by mental health tribunals in each of the last five years; and what the average time taken between their conviction and release of such people was in each such year.

Bridget Prentice: Neither the First tier Tribunal-Mental Health nor the Ministry of Justice Mental Health Unit collects the information requested in this format. The First-tier Tribunal-Mental Health hears applications and references for people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007). It does not record in its database the information requested. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost by searching through all files to obtain these details. In any event, these files will only cover the last six months; anything beyond this date will have been destroyed in accordance with the Tribunals' record retention and disposal schedule.

Prisoners: Death

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people died in prison of drug-related causes in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The prison system for classifying deaths does not include a specific category for drug related deaths, which is a drug related death where the underlying cause is poisoning, drug abuse or dependence and any of the substances controlled under the Misuse of Drug Act (1971) are involved.
	However, information is recorded on deaths where an overdose of any drug played a part. The table shows the numbers of non-natural deaths associated with a drugs overdose.
	
		
			  Non-natural drug related deaths in prison custody 
			   Other non-natural  Self-inflicted  Total 
			 1997 - - 0 
			 1998 - - 0 
			 1999 - 2 2 
			 2000 - 4 4 
			 2001 - 2 2 
			 2002 1 3 4 
			 2003 - 3 3 
			 2004 - 3 3 
			 2005 1 5 6 
			 2006 2 1 3 
			 2007 - 3 3 
			 2008 - 3 3 
			  Note: The deaths reported in this table have been extracted, from the total deaths in prison in the period in question. While every effort is made to maintain a high level of accuracy, these figures may change as subsequent information arises, such as verdicts. They should not be read or taken as absolute figures. 
		
	
	The drug related self-inflicted deaths refer to cases where an overdose of any drug resulted in death. Three of the four other non-natural deaths refer to situations where any drug may have contributed to the death but not in fatal amounts. The other case relates to a fatal attempt to smuggle drugs into prison.

Prisoners: Mobile Phones

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 139-40W, on prisoners: mobile telephones, how many people have been convicted for taking an unauthorised mobile telephone or component part into a prison.

Maria Eagle: Under the Offender Management Act 2007 it is an offence with a penalty of up to two years' imprisonment or an unlimited fine to bring a mobile phone or component part into a prison.
	We know that from April 2008 to September 2009, there have been 142 arrests and 36 people charged with offences under the Offender Management Act 2007, which includes taking mobile phones or components into prison.
	To provide the full information requested, it would be necessary to contact all prisons and young offender institutions, ask them to check their local records and to submit this information to headquarters. This could be carried out only at disproportionate cost.
	From April 2009, convictions under the Act have been included in the Home Office Counting Rules and will be published in next year's Annual Crime Statistics Bulletin (July 2010), providing a more accurate picture.

Prisoners: Pay

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure was incurred on unemployment pay for prisoners in 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: I regret that the information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only by approaching 135 prisons separately which would be at disproportionate cost. Prison Service Order (PSO) 4460 (Prisoners' Pay) sets out a minimum unemployed rate of £2.50 a week. The PSO has been placed in the House Library and can also be viewed at the following web address:
	http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/psispsos/listpsos/index.asp?startrow=51
	Prisoners' pay policy is set out in PSO 4460. Prisoners are eligible for unemployment pay if they are willing to work but the establishment cannot find suitable employment or the prisoner is unable to work. Those who refuse to work must not receive any pay.

Probation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) average,  (b) minimum and  (c) maximum offender caseload was for a probation officer in each probation area in each year since 2002.

Maria Eagle: Figures for the average and maximum caseloads per probation officer in each probation area at 31 December 2008 are set out in the following table.
	No data are available for minimum caseloads; and data for average and maximum caseloads are unavailable for previous years.
	
		
			  Average and maximum caseloads per p robation officer at 31 December 2008 
			  Probation area  Average caseload per probation officer on 31 December 2008  Maximum caseload placed on any one probation officer on 31 December 2008 
			 Avon and Somerset 31 72 
			 Bedfordshire 28 48 
			 Cambridgeshire 52 91 
			 Cheshire 44 58 
			 Cumbria 31 54 
			 Derbyshire 38 49 
			 Devon and Cornwall 31 92 
			 Dorset 48 57 
			 Durham 33 55 
			 Essex 43 70 
			 Gloucestershire 28 71 
			 Greater Manchester 36 70 
			 Hampshire 27 62 
			 Hertfordshire 37 77 
			 Humberside 33 56 
			 Kent 30 57 
			 Lancashire 39 79 
			 Leicestershire 19 71 
			 Lincolnshire 21 41 
			 London 35 53 
			 Merseyside 31 86 
			 Norfolk 18 53 
			 North Yorkshire 31 46 
			 Northamptonshire 54 66 
			 Northumbria 25 69 
			 Nottinghamshire 28 66 
			 South Yorkshire 30 58 
			 Staffordshire 32 44 
			 Suffolk 27 49 
			 Surrey 31 46 
			 Sussex 54 85 
			 Teesside 36 64 
			 Thames Valley 30 55 
			 Warwickshire 26 52 
			 West Mercia 32 84 
			 West Midlands 35 70 
			 West Yorkshire 29 61 
			 Wiltshire 30 54 
			 Dyfed Powys 23 38 
			 Gwent 27 47 
			 North Wales 39 66 
			 South Wales 38 61

Remand in Custody: Young People

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made in relation to the proposal in the Youth Crime Action plan to delegate the budget for court-ordered secure remands to local authorities; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the implications for vulnerable young people of delegating the budget for court-ordered secure remands to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Responses to the Youth Crime Action Plan consultation indicated that we should look broadly at how we can best incentivise local authorities to invest in alternatives to custody. The Youth Justice Board is, therefore, exploring options as to how we might do this, including the potential of devolving budgets for Court Ordered Secure Remands as set out in the Youth Crime Action Plan and the potential for devolving wider custody budgets. We recognise this is a complex issue and proper consideration needs to be given to the implications of any changes to the placement of vulnerable young people. That is why the Youth Justice Board is undertaking a full analysis before providing advice to ministers in due course.

Vetting: Scotland

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees in his Department and its agencies in England and Wales were subject to a basic disclosure check by Disclosure Scotland in each year since 2002.

Bridget Prentice: In April 2007, the requirement for Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) came into effect. In May 2007 the Ministry of Justice was established and implemented BPSS with a Disclosure Scotland security check ratio of 1:5 of all new joiners (who are not subject to a Criminal Record Bureau standard or enhanced security checks).
	The central recording of the numbers of Disclosure Scotland checks commenced from 1 October 2008 and up to 19 October 2009 there have been 505 checks. For the period 2002 to September 2008 it is not possible to provide the number of Disclosure Scotland checks because the Ministry holds no central records for it and its predecessor organisations. To obtain this information will require the examination of all employee records and this will incur a disproportionate cost.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) security vetting framework has not and does not currently use Disclosure Scotland to undertake any checks for the organisation. NOMS uses the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to conduct their minimum baseline security checks.

TREASURY

Adjudicator's Office: Complaints

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time taken to reach a decision by the Adjudicator's Office following the receipt of a complaint from a member of the public in respect of  (a) a complaint relating to the Tax Credit Office and  (b) an application for compensation from the Tax Credit Office was in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The average time the Adjudicator's Office takes to reach a decision on a case, measured from acceptance of the complaint, for tax credits is:
	
		
			   Weeks 
			 2004-05 25 
			 2005-06 18 
			 2006-07 22 
			 2007-08 21 
			 2008-09 39 
		
	
	The Adjudicator's Office annual report sets out the reasons behind the recent increase in time taken to reach a decision, and the plans in place to address this. The annual report is available at
	http://www.adjudicatorsoffice.gov.uk/pdf/report2009.pdf
	The Adjudicator's Office considers compensation in each case as part of the complaint handling process; no separate application is required. As such no separate figures for compensation applications are available.

Child Tax Credit: Overseas Residence

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  in respect of how many children ordinarily resident outside the UK payments of child tax credit are being made; and what checks on the residence of children are made before payment of such tax credits;
	(2)  what his policy is on obtaining evidence of a child's country of residence in relation to payment of child benefit; and what information he has on the number of children receiving child benefit who are not ordinarily resident in the UK.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 15 October 2009
	Information about the payment of child tax credit to families with children resident outside the UK is only available at disproportionate cost. Data is available on child benefit awards to EEA nationals in respect of children resident in another member state and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) on 13 October 2009,  Official Report, column 787W.
	Child benefit and child tax credit is intended to help families in the UK. Generally, therefore, it is not payable in respect of children resident outside the UK. However, under EC coordinating regulations on social security for migrant workers and their families, which the UK has administered since it joined the European Economic Community in 1973, a European Economic Area (EEA) national working in one member state can claim family benefits (child tax credit together with child benefit) in that member state in respect of members of their family resident in other member states.
	All claims for family benefits are subject to a wide range of checks throughout the life of each claim. Where claims for family benefits are made under the EC Regulations on behalf of children living in another member state, HMRC carry out further checks to verify the information provided by the customer to prevent erroneous or fraudulent claims. These checks include requiring the relevant authorities in the member state where the worker's family resides to confirm the composition of the family and to find out whether there are any family benefits in payment in that other member state.

Child Trust Fund: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children in Leeds West constituency had received child trust fund payments on the latest date for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The most recent constituency level statistics on child trust fund accounts can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/cons-stats-oct08.pdf
	and show that 4,534 children born before 6 April 2007 in the Leeds West constituency have a child trust fund account.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: It would not be possible to identify from records held centrally by HM Treasury or its agencies which businesses were classified as small or medium-sized enterprises at the time when contracts were awarded to them without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is not available, as the Treasury's accounting system does not record accommodation costs separately from subsistence spending.
	Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Northern Rock

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the independent valuation of Northern Rock will be completed.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Derbyshire on 19 June 2009,  Official Report, column 548W.

Royal Mint

Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress has been made on the disposal of the Royal Mint; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Royal Mint is owned 100 per cent. by Government. It is currently vesting the business of the Royal Mint Trading Fund into a company structure, with the intention of completing the process by the end of this year. Vesting will have no impact on the ownership of the Royal Mint.

Taxation: Property

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many penalties have been imposed by HM Revenue and Customs on estates as a consequence of a difference between the official valuation of a property and the final sale price in the last 12 months; how many such penalties have been challenged; how many such challenges have been upheld; and how much revenue accrued to the Exchequer from the imposition of such penalties.

Stephen Timms: The precise information requested is available only at disproportionate cost as HM Revenue and Customs' systems do not allow for identification of penalties imposed specifically due to a difference in the initial valuation of a property and the final sale of price of that property
	Inheritance tax (IHT) rules require all assets-including property-in an estate to be valued for IHT purposes at the point immediately before the deceased's death. Where a property is subsequently sold within four years of this for less than the value on which IHT was paid 'loss on sale' relief may be claimed.
	In the last 12 months penalties have been charged in 17 cases as a result of undervaluation of some part of the estate, resulting in approximately £120,000 of additional revenue accruing to the Exchequer
	The numbers of penalties challenged and those subsequently upheld are not available.

Valuation Office: Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency has spent on its automated valuation model for  (a) council tax and  (b) business rates.

Ian Pearson: The Valuation Office Agency do not record these costs separately for council tax and business rates.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne) of 14 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2134W, on the Valuation Office: data protection, whether the Information Commissioner's Personal Data Flowchart guidance on domestic property data was taken into account when the Valuation Office Agency signed its contract with Rightmove.co.uk to obtain property data.

Ian Pearson: The contract is between HMRC and Rightmove.co.uk and predates the Personal Data Flowchart Guidance.

Welfare Tax Credits: Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much and what percentage of tax credits overpaid as a result of fraud have been recovered in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much of the sum overpaid in tax credits as a result of fraud has been classified as  (a) recoverable and  (b) unrecoverable in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The precise information requested is not available. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not keep separate records on the level of recoverable debt arising from compliance checks.
	Information on tax credits debt and HMRC's estimates of tax credits error and fraud are provided in Trust Statement section of HMRC's departmental accounts.
	HMRC's departmental accounts for the last five years are available at:
	 2008-09
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accs-0809.pdf
	 2007-08
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-dep-acct0708.pdf
	 2006-07
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-06-07-acc.pdf
	 2005-06
	http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/ channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true_pageLabel =pageVAT_ShowContentpropertyType=document columns=1id=HMCE_PROD1_025710
	 2004-05
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/ir-report2005.pdf

HEALTH

Dental Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of dentists graduating from medical schools in England were not working in the NHS  (a) three and  (b) five years after qualification in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: We do not hold information about the number of dentists working privately, but almost all new dental graduates undertake one year's vocational training in a dental practice with a major national health service commitment. We are also aware that it is some years before a newly qualified dentist can build up a significant private practice and that most dentists work in mixed practice providing both NHS and private dentistry. There is no evidence of a shortage of dentists willing to take NHS contracts when they are offered.

Dental Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of tooth  (a) extractions and  (b) fillings carried out under the NHS in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The estimated full year number of clinical dental items delivered, by patient type during 2003-04 and 2008-09, is available in Tables 1 and 2 for England and Tables 7 and 8 for Wales in the Provisional Clinical Dental Report, England and Wales: Quarter 3, 31 December 2008-Experimental Statistics report.
	This publication carries the label Experimental statistics. Experimental statistics are new official statistics undergoing evaluation. They are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development and as a means to build in quality at an early stage.
	Note that as the nature of the dental contract was different in 2003-04 to 2008-09, covering a differing range of services, with different data collection practices and funding regimes in place, there are a number of reasons why figures are not fully comparable across the two years. The figures published should be treated with the caution appropriate to all experimental data.
	This report, published on 19 August 2009, has been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/clinicaldental0809q3

Dental Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for NHS dental services has been in  (a) Vale of York constituency,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Prior to April 2006, most primary dental services were provided under former General Dental Service (GDS) arrangements. These were demand led services where the pattern of dental expenditure was largely determined by where dentists chose to practice, and how much national health service work they chose to undertake.
	The NHS Information Centre for health and social care published the following report on 26 March 2008: NHS Expenditure for General Dental Services and Personal Dental Services: England 1997-98-2005-06. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalexpendl997to2006
	The report includes information on primary dental care expenditure by parliamentary constituency, primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) area for 1997-98 to 2005-06 in Tables A3 and B3 of Annex 3. Table A3 relates to 'gross' expenditure and table B3 relates to 'net' expenditure. 'Gross' expenditure refers to the full cost of the payments recorded; 'net' expenditure reflects the cost of these payments to the NHS after the deduction of income from NHS dental charges paid by patients.
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. Further notes to aid interpretation of the information are shown in the 'Contents and Notes' page of Annex 3. The data will not be directly comparable with data based on the new dental service framework introduced from 1 April 2006.
	The former GDS arrangements were replaced with effect from 1 April 2006, when PCTs were given responsibility for planning and commissioning primary dental services and provided with local, devolved, dental budgets. The primary dental service funding allocations made to the North Yorkshire and York PCT, the aggregate allocations to all PCTs within the Yorkshire and the Humber SHA, and the aggregate allocations to the NHS in England, for each of the four years since PCTs assumed full responsibility for primary dental care services, are in the following table. These are net of income from dental charges paid by patients, which are retained locally by PCTs to supplement the resources available for dentistry. PCTs may also dedicate some of their other NHS resources to dentistry if they consider this an appropriate local priority. Allocations are not apportioned by individual constituencies or towns; PCTs determine the distribution of resources within their area on the basis of local needs and priorities. Actual expenditure levels are determined by the pattern and type of services commissioned by each PCT and are recorded in the notes to PCT accounts.
	
		
			  Primary dental service net funding allocations 
			  £000 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 25,195 26,894 30,088 31,392 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 186,918 198,973 222,180 237,653 
			 England 1,764,700 1,872,442 2,081,000 2,257,000 
			 Notes: 1. The PCT allocation figure for 2006-07 is the aggregate of the allocations made initially to the Craven, Harrogate and Rural District, Hambleton and Richmondshire, Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale, and Selby and York PCTs before they merged to form the North Yorkshire and York PCT with effect from 1 October 2006. 2. PCTs are awarded separate funding allocations to meet the cost of any dental vocational trainees who may be placed with dental practices in their area. The funding totals for the Yorkshire and Humber SHA, and England, include funding for vocational trainees.

Dental Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of dental activity in  (a) band 1,  (b) band 2 and  (c) band 3 have been carried out by dentists in (i) Vale of York constituency, (ii) North Yorkshire and (iii) England in each year since 2006.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The number of units of dental activity performed in England by treatment band in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 is available in Table B3 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008-09 report. Information is provided by primary care trust and strategic health authority but is not available at constituency level. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006.
	This report, published on 19 August 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809

Dental Services: Children

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of schoolchildren who received  (a) screenings and  (b) advice from dentists providing NHS services in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: There is no information held centrally on which we could base an estimate of the number of children who still receive dental screening examinations in school. The National Screening Committee advised that that there is no evidence to support universal screening for dental disease among children aged six to nine years. In the light of this expert advice, we have concentrated on targeted initiatives like the Brushing for Life scheme which provides for families with young children to receive toothpaste and brushes at child health clinics or Sure Start centres, together with advice on how the children can be seen by a dentist.
	Data published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care showed that 7,643,000 children and young people aged under 18 were seen by a primary care national health service dentist in the 24-month period ending June 2009. This is equivalent to 69.5 per cent. of the population aged under 18.

Dental Services: Standards

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been recovered by the NHS as a consequence of targets for level of units of dental activity not being met in each year since 2006.

Ann Keen: Providers of national health service dental services have contracts with primary care trusts (PCTs) that set out the agreed annual contract sum and the corresponding level of services to be provided over the course of the year. These annual service levels are expressed mainly in terms of 'units of dental activity', which measure courses of treatment according to their relative complexity. Dental providers who under-deliver by up to 4 per cent. may carry this forward and make up the activity in the following year. Where a provider has delivered less than 96 per cent. of the agreed annual service level, it is at the PCTs discretion whether the undelivered activity is carried forward to the following year or an appropriate proportion of the annual contract sum is refunded to the PCT. This is a matter for PCTs to decide locally in the light of individual circumstances, and their decisions are not collected or held centrally.

Dental Services: Working Hours

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to paragraph 18 of his Department's evidence to the 2010 review of doctors' and dentists' remuneration, how many hours of NHS work dentists conducted in England in total in  (a) each calendar year since 1997 for which figures are available and  (b) each financial year since 1997-98 for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Information for the annual hours of national health service dental work is not available.
	Information on the normal weekly hours of dentists in the period since 1997 is set out in Table 19 of the NHS Information Centre (IC) for health and social care publication entitled Dental Working Hours England and Wales 2006-07 and 2007-08. The publication has been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalworkinghours0708
	The IC's report records that a study in 2000 found that dentists worked an average of 39.4 hours; the IC's Dental Working Hours Analysis recorded averages of 36.6 hours in 2006-07 and 37.0 hours in 2007-08. There were differences in the coverage of the surveys.
	The 2000 survey does not give a complete split of weekly hours into NHS and private dental work and so a weekly NHS hours estimate is not available for the year 2000.
	For 2006-07 and 2007-08 dentists provided estimates of the percentage of time spent on NHS work: 71.4 per cent. in 2006-07 and 70.8 per cent. in 2007-08 so that weekly NHS hours were 26.1 hours and 26.2 hours respectively.
	The IC in its publication NHS Dental Statistics for England, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, report that 20,815 dentists performed some NHS dental activity in 2006-07 in England and 21,343 dentists some dental activity in 2007-08. However, some of these dentists did not work for the whole year. So these figures cannot be used to produce estimates of total annual hours worked.
	In researching the information requested we have, however, noticed a small error in paragraph 18 of the Department's evidence to the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) for the 2010 review. As noted, the survey which collected data for 2006-07 and 2007-08 (a single questionnaire for the two years) in fact showed a small increase in the average hours worked for the NHS by dentists doing some NHS work from 26.1 hours in 2006-07 to 26.2 hours in 2007-08. We shall be writing to the DDRB to correct this error.

Mental Health Services: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the amount spent on transferring patients with mental health problems from Leeds to treatment centres outside the Leeds area during the period April 2007 to March 2009.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. This information may be obtainable direct from the Leeds Primary Care Trust.

Mental Health Services: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve standards of mental health care in Leeds.

Phil Hope: The responsibility for providing healthcare, including specialist mental health care services, rests with primary care trusts (PCTs). The Department provides funding for PCTs to commission, or provide healthcare for their local populations from national health service or independent sector providers. We are not prescriptive about how individual PCTs spend their budgets and each PCT decides its own spending levels for specific healthcare treatments and services.
	Since 2001-02, total planned investment in adult mental health services has increased by 50 per cent. (£2.0 billion), putting in place the extra services and staff needed to transform mental health services. Nine consecutive years of increased spending by the NHS on mental health services has provided more staff, and increasing numbers of people with a severe mental illness are receiving treatment from community teams outside of hospital settings.
	Our significant investment in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT), will see annual funding rising to £173 million, 3,600 extra therapists trained and 900,000 more people treated by 2011. This investment in IAPT will help to add to the existing provision of psychological therapies, increase capacity, reduce waiting times and drive up quality standards.

Social Services: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to reform the care and support system for disabled people of working age; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Care and Support Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together, published on 14 July 2009, set out the Government's vision for a National Care Service that is universal, fair, affordable, clear and helps people to live their lives the way they want to. The Green Paper applies to all adults in England.
	It is vital that everybody gets involved in the Big Care Debate to have their say on the future direction of the new care and support system. The consultation closes on 13 November 2009.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Copenhagen Summit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the international development aspects of the forthcoming Copenhagen climate change summit.

Douglas Alexander: The General Affairs and External Relations Council has two sessions each year on development issues. Climate change was a focus of the May meeting and we will again be looking at climate change at the November meeting, as well as ensuring that we are represented at these meetings. I take numerous opportunities to discuss the road to Copenhagen with my EU counterparts.

Maternal and Child Mortality

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department gives in  (a) drafting and  (b) implementing national plans for the reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality in countries in receipt of aid from his Department.

Michael Foster: Maternal and child health is a priority for the Department for International Development (DFID). In Africa and Asia we work closely with partner governments in developing national health plans to tackle maternal and child health and deliver better services for the poorest.
	At the UN General Assembly, we pledged £100 million to assist Nepal, Malawi, Ghana, Liberia, Burundi and Sierra Leone to expand access to free health care. This will save millions of women and children's lives.

Food Security: Africa

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure security in the supply of food for people in developing countries in Africa.

Gareth Thomas: The UK supports agriculture, rural development and food security programmes in 18 countries across Africa, contributing £73 million last year including £20 million on food security in Ethiopia. We are providing additional assistance this year for the Horn of Africa. We provide support through multilateral institutions. We support Africa's vision for a doubling of agricultural production over the next 20 years to secure food supplies over the longer term.

Millennium Development Goals

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the Government's contribution to the achievement of the millennium development goals.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government are committed to delivery of the millennium development goals through its public service agreement on international poverty reduction. Our July White Paper set out how we will respond to new challenges building a platform for further action on poverty beyond 2015. The latest assessment of the Government's contribution to the achievement of the millennium development goals is contained in DFID's 2009 annual report, also published in July and available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Aid Target

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made towards the achievement of the UK's target of spending 0.7 per cent. of gross domestic product on overseas aid.

Douglas Alexander: The Government remain committed to delivering 0.7 per cent. of GNI as official development assistance by 2013. We have recently announced plans to introduce legislation to ensure the commitment is met. In 2008 UK official development assistance stood at 0.43 per cent. of GNI in line with the trajectory set out in the 2007 comprehensive spending review and will reach at least 0.56 per cent. by 2010-11.

Afghanistan: Infant Mortality

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to the Government of Afghanistan to help in reducing levels of infant mortality.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports the Afghan Government in reducing levels of infant mortality through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). DFID has provided £360 million to the ARTF since 2002, and is planning a further £165 million to 2013. This will cover around 14 per cent. of the total operating costs of the Afghan health sector.
	In Helmand, the UK is supporting the Afghan Government's efforts to improve health care through the cross-departmental conflict fund and the provincial reconstruction team.
	Government of Afghanistan programmes in the health sector have achieved the following results:
	Full immunisation of children has risen from 15 per cent. in 2003 to 27 per cent. in 2006
	The number of Afghan midwives has increased from 467 in 2002 to 2,167 in 2008;
	82 per cent. of the population now live in a district with access to basic healthcare across the country, compared with 9 per cent. in 2003. As a result, an estimated 40,000 more Afghan children will see their fifth birthdays this year compared to 2002.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The requested information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Eritrea

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's policy is on the provisions of the development agreement reached between the European Commission and Eritrea in September 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government welcome the new European Commission Country Strategy for Eritrea that it signed with the Government of Eritrea in September 2009. This will provide €122 million between 2009 and 2013 to help the Eritrean people improve governance and reduce poverty and food insecurity. Over half of the population live below the national poverty line.
	The development co-operation is part of the broader partnership between the European Union and Eritrea based on the Cotonou Agreement of June 2000. As part of Article 8 of this agreement, there will be political dialogue between the parties on political and human rights issues.

Eritrea: International Broadcasting

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2009, Official Report, column 496, on Eritrea: international broadcasting, what requests for funding to support Radio Erena his Department has received in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not received any requests for funding to support Radio Erena in the last three years.

Eritrea: Overseas Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the freedom of access for non-government organisations and aid agencies to assist people in Eritrea; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Freedom for non-government organisations and aid agencies to operate within Eritrea is limited due to constraints put in place by the Government of Eritrea. The Government of Eritrea does not consider these organisations to have a significant role to play in either the development of the country or in addressing relief needs. After agreeing a limited travel itinerary with the Eritrean authorities, Department for International Development (DFID) officials were able to visit partner agencies in Eritrea in August of this year.

Georgia: Armed Conflict

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to assist those displaced as a result of the conflict in Georgia in August 2008.

Michael Foster: In response to the conflict in August 2008 the Department for International Development (DFID) initially committed £2 million to humanitarian agencies providing assistance to affected civilians in Georgia and the Russian Federation (RF). Of this £1 million was allocated to the International Committee of the Red Cross for their operations in Georgia and North Ossetia in the RF. £550,000 was allocated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), £250,000 was given to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and £200,000 to the Hazardous Areas Life-Support Organisation (HALO).
	In December 2008, DFID provided a further £2 million humanitarian aid to be channelled through UNHCR. This provided Internally Displaced People (both pre and post 2008 conflict) with winterised shelter and continued access to basic provisions.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  whether he has received a request to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry;
	(2)  how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have received requests to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer that will be given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister today.

Literacy: Developing Countries

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps he has taken to improve levels of literacy in the world's 10 poorest countries.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed in partnership with other donors, to the realisation of all six goals of the Education for All (EFA) agenda.
	Through our long-term commitment to provide £8.5 billion in support of education overseas to 2015, we are supporting poor countries to invest in quality basic education, including lower secondary, to ensure that children attain the fundamental skills they need to participate in social and economic life.
	DFID has recently directly supported adult literacy programmes in Uganda, Kenya, India and Yemen, as well as through humanitarian aid programmes. In India, DFID supports the accelerated Tara Akshar Reading programme, a fast track programme aiming to teach people to read in 50-hours over a period of 30-days. In Yemen, DFID and participating donors are financing a substantial basic education programme which includes support to both primary and adult basic education.

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's non-departmental public body, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), did not send representatives to any of the political party conferences.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Communications Annual Report 2008-09

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's Communications Annual Report 2008-09, if he will place in the Library a copy of the evaluation report for  (a) the Home buying and Home selling communications campaign,  (b) the eco-towns campaign and  (c) the promoting take-up of online council services on waste and recycling campaign.

Barbara Follett: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The purpose of the Home buying and selling campaign was to provide information to buyers, sellers and estate agents about changes in the law, and directed people online for more detail. It was evaluated through the number of visits to the campaign website for which I refer the hon. Member to the information on the Department's website published at the time of the Department's 2008-09 Annual Report:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1298507.pdf
	 (b) The purpose of the eco-towns campaign was to promote the consultation process. It was evaluated through the number of visits to the consultation micro-site at 34,189 visitors and the number of consultation responses at 7,500 at the end of the consultation period.
	 (c) The evaluation report on the online council waste and recycling campaign will be placed in the Library.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Community Infrastructure Levy will be applied to new  (a) affordable housing and  (b) social housing developments.

Ian Austin: The Government are currently seeking views on proposals as to whether and how the Community Infrastructure Levy should apply to affordable or social housing developments in its consultation regarding the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy which was launched on 30 July 2009 and will conclude on 23 October 2009. No final decisions have yet been made.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the Valuation Office Agency's full-time equivalent staff work on valuations for council tax purposes.

Barbara Follett: In the last full year, 2008-09, the Valuation Office Agency used 714 full-time equivalent staff for council tax purposes.

Departmental Responsibilities

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Minister in his Department has responsibility for architectural policy.

Ian Austin: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for building design; and that Department is responsible for architectural design policy and sponsors the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).
	However, Communities and Local Government also recognises the value of architecture, and the importance that good design in architecture and the built environment plays in creating sustainable communities. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has appointed me to take forward this work for this Department. 1 also have the responsibility for the Department's work with CABE, which we jointly sponsor with DCMS to ensure that the architectural design agenda is embedded across Government.
	In addition, the Secretary of State for Communities is accountable to Parliament for the Architects' Registration Board (ARB). This is the UK's Statutory Regulator for Architects, and is responsible for the registration of architects and the prescription of architectural courses as described in the Architects Act 1997.

Eco-Towns

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its agencies have spent on each budgetary heading related to communications, marketing, public relations, design and media on eco-towns.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the information published on the Department's website alongside its 2009 annual report:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1298507.pdf

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations his Department has received on Energy Performance Certificates taking into account energy efficiency derived from air source heat pumps; and if he will review the methodology used to rate air source heat pumps for home information pack purposes.

John Healey: The Department has received a number of representations concerning the energy efficiency and environmental performance ratings achieved by dwellings that use air source heat pumps (ASHPs) as a source of heating on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RDSAP), the methodology used to generate EPCs for existing dwellings, takes into account a wide range of construction materials and building features, including ASHPs. RDSAP is derived from Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) both of which are kept under constant review and upgraded on a regular basis to take account of new building technologies.

English Partnerships: Redundancy Pay

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much English Partnerships spent on redundancy payments when it was dissolved; and how many people received such payments;
	(2)  how many people made redundant by English Partnerships have subsequently been hired as employees, contractors or consultants by the Homes and Communities Agency.

Ian Austin: When English Partnerships dissolved it spent £368,000 on redundancy payments in relation to five staff. Information on redundancy payments on the three most senior members of staff, including its Chief Executive, was reported on in its final set of accounts, for 2008-09, which was published on its website at:
	http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/corporateinformation.htm
	Copies were also lodged in the Vote Office.
	The Homes and Communities Agency has no record centrally that any of these former staff have subsequently been hired by the Homes and Communities Agency as employees, contractors or consultants.

Fire Services

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 315W, on the New Dimension Programme, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report by NERA UK Ltd on the New Dimension Programme.

Shahid Malik: The report will be placed in the Library of the House shortly.

Fire Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the FireGuard project.

Shahid Malik: The Fireguard Project Board, chaired by the Chief Fire Officers Association, assessed the technical and financial aspects of the project, including affordability. Firebuy, the national procurement body for the English Fire and Rescue Service, undertook the procurement process for the project at the request of 33 fire and rescue authorities, led by the Chief Fire Officers Association. This Department did not make any separate assessment of the project.

Fire Services: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many sickness days were taken as a result of an assault on a Fire Service staff member in each fire and rescue authority in the most recent year for which figures are available; how many days were lost per firefighter on average due to assault in that year; and what the estimated cost of such losses is to each fire authority was in 2008-09.

Shahid Malik: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Services: Industrial Disputes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contingency arrangements have been made for the use of fire appliances in the event of a strike by firefighters; which appliances would be used; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The National Framework for the Fire and Rescue Service states that fire and rescue authorities must have a plan to provide such level of cover as it regards appropriate during emergencies, including industrial action, and ensure the availability of all necessary vehicles and equipment. Unless the fire and rescue authority has alternative arrangements, we would expect such vehicles to be sourced from their existing fleets.

Fire Services: Manpower

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters were employed at fire stations in  (a) each local authority area in the East of England and  (b) England in each of the last 10 years.

Shahid Malik: The numbers of firefighters based at fire stations is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The total numbers of whole-time and retained firefighters for each fire authority is held centrally and are shown in the following tables for  (a) fire authorities in the east of England and  (b) England.
	
		
			  Number of whole - time firefighters, 1999 to 2008 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 315 305 326 334 319 330 323 317 321 330 
			 Cambridgeshire 263 263 276 274 273 285 273 258 277 278 
			 Essex 914 923 937 948 937 920 936 981 945 943 
			 Hertfordshire 557 581 565 570 564 574 564 569 560 575 
			 Norfolk 282 298 310 308 288 295 281 303 306 302 
			 Suffolk 256 249 248 253 250 244 257 272 257 259 
			 East of England 2,587 2,619 2,662 2,687 2,631 2,648 2,634 2,700 2,666 2,687 
			 England 31,918 31,615 31,597 31,592 31,631 31,856 31,053 30,744 30,804 30,824 
			  Sources: (i) HM Chief Inspector for Fire's Annual Report and (ii) Fire and Rescue Service Operational Statistics Bulletin 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of retained duty system firefighters, 1999 to 2008 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 131 126 138 151 139 106 150 154 157 170 
			 Cambridgeshire 365 364 371 344 327 350 369 373 365 354 
			 Essex 457 460 464 477 472 475 488 534 548 543 
			 Hertfordshire 267 266 265 261 208 268 257 261 228 256 
			 Norfolk 448 443 443 405 426 435 501 514 527 534 
			 Suffolk 400 396 404 401 415 399 425 452 487 493 
			 East of England 2,068 2,055 2,085 2,039 1,987 2,033 2,190 2,288 2,312 2,350 
			 England 13,022 13,021 13,097 13,002 13,048 13,015 13,543 13,927 14,212 14,166 
			  Sources: (i) HM Chief Inspector for Fire's Annual Report and (ii) Fire and Rescue Service Operational Statistics Bulletin

Fire Services: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has given to fire and rescue authorities on their Service Improvement Plans.

Shahid Malik: Fire and Rescue Authorities produce Service Improvement Plans as part of the Integrated Risk Management Planning process.
	FRAs are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances-evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resource accordingly.
	A range of guidance on the drawing up of IRMPs has been issued to FRAs and is available on the Communities and Local Government website.

Fire Services: Working Hours

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to fire and rescue authorities in the last 24 months on the European Working Time Directive and retained firefighters.

Shahid Malik: The Department has not issued any guidance to fire and rescue services on the EU Working Time Directive and retained duty system firefighters in the last 24 months. Integrated Risk Management Planning Guidance Note 6, which gives general guidance on how the Working Time Regulations might affect the fire and rescue service and was issued in 2004, remains current.

Homelessness

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have  (a) applied to their local authority for housing and  (b) been designated as intentionally homeless following a repossession in each of the last three years.

Ian Austin: CLG does not hold information on the number of households who, following repossession, apply to their local authority for housing and are found intentionally homeless.
	CLG issued supplementary guidance to local housing authorities in August on how they should exercise their homelessness functions, and apply the various statutory criteria, when considering whether applicants who are homeless having lost their home because of difficulties in meeting mortgage commitments are intentionally or unintentionally homeless. This guidance reminded authorities about the correct questions they must ask when deciding whether a former homeowner has become homeless intentionally.

Housing: Construction

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a full impact assessment has been produced relating to the costs of the provisions in the Lifetime Homes Standard on building a house.

Ian Austin: In June 2007 the Department published a consultation on Making a Rating Mandatory within the Code for Sustainable Homes. This included an impact assessment which identified costs and benefits of building to the Lifetime Homes Standards. The document can be downloaded at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/doc/Thefutureofthecode.doc
	We will be consulting on proposed changes to the Code for Sustainable Homes in due course, and this will include our proposal to make Lifetime Homes Standards mandatory at Code Level 4. The consultation will be supported by a full impact assessment.

Housing: Construction

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department carried out an impact assessment of  (a) the revision of Planning Policy Guidance 3 and  (b) its policies on (i) density and (ii) brownfield classification in 2000.

Ian Austin: An Impact assessment was undertaken for PPG3 but the impact assessment undertaken for PPS3 has superseded the assessment for PPG3. This assessment is available on the Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/pps3ria

Housing: Construction

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the errors were in the House Building Statistical Release published on 20 August 2009 which caused it to be withdrawn.

Ian Austin: The errors in the House Building Statistical Release published on 20 August 2009 affected the numbers of starts and completions reported for the June quarter 2009.
	In line with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we will be publishing a revised release as soon as possible. Once a release date for the corrected figures is known this will be announced on the UK National Statistics publication hub and the Communities and Local Government departmental release calendar.

Housing: Energy

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) research his Department has undertaken on and  (b) resources his Department has committed to assist the preparedness of the house construction industry to meet new environmental energy-saving targets for new homes in the last 12-months.

Ian Austin: Communities and Local Government has commissioned and contributed to a range of research projects on the energy performance of new homes in the last 12-months. These projects were carried out to help inform the recent consultation to revise Part L (Conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations and proposals to both strengthen performance standards and improve compliance with these standards.
	Officials have liaised with construction industry including housebuilders in the drawing up of these proposals, which includes a training and dissemination strategy.
	My Department has also been working with industry on our policy that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016. Delivery of the policy is supported by the Zero Carbon Hub partnership who are looking at areas where additional skills and training are needed. All this work has been resourced as part of normal business planning.

Housing: Energy

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the construction industry on its preparedness for new environmental and energy-saving targets.

Ian Austin: The Department has been engaging with representatives of the construction industry on meeting the requirements of zero carbon policies for new buildings and on preparing for the introduction of new water and energy efficiency standards in Building Regulations planned for 2010.

Housing: Energy

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) research his Department has undertaken on and  (b) resources his Department has committed in the last 12 months to the various trades in the construction industry on ensuring existing homes meet the new environmental and energy-saving standards.

Ian Austin: Building work on existing homes was included in proposals to strengthen energy efficiency standards as part of the recent consultation to revise part L (conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations.

Housing: Regeneration

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on each Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder; what the total expenditure has been; how many properties have been demolished in each; and how many new  (a) affordable and  (b) market price properties have been built in each.

Ian Austin: Total allocations from 2002-03 to 2009-10 for the nine original HMR pathfinders are given in the table:
	
		
			  HMR pathfinder  2002-03 to 2009-10 (£ million)( 1) 
			 Birmingham Sandwell 139 
			 East Lancashire 270 
			 Hull and East Riding 113 
			 Manchester Salford 322 
			 Merseyside 295 
			 Newcastle Gateshead 200 
			 North Staffordshire 178 
			 Oldham Rochdale 184 
			 South Yorkshire 245 
			 (1) Includes preparation and early actions. 
		
	
	From 2006-07, approximately £75 million has also been allocated to the three areas of wider lower demand; Tees Valley, West Yorkshire and West Cumbria making a total of more than £2 billion allocated to the HMR programme since 2002-03.
	Total new build, refurbishment and demolition figures for HMR pathfinder areas, from the beginning of the programme to March 2009, are given in the table. Data differentiating affordable and private new build housing are not held in a readily available format and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  HMR pathfinder  New build( 1)  Refurbishments( 1)  Demolitions( 1) 
			 Birmingham Sandwell 224 8,700 1,300 
			 East Lancashire 16 4,300 2,000 
			 Hull and East Riding 167 400 600 
			 Manchester Salford 935 12,300 2,800 
			 Merseyside 1,059 9,900 1,600 
			 Newcastle Gateshead 274 5,100 2,400 
			 North Staffordshire 198 6,200 1,400 
			 Oldham Rochdale 323 3,200 800 
			 South Yorkshire 538 9,000 3,100 
			 (1) HMR funded: as set out in the funding agreements between HMR pathfinders and CLG/HCA.

Housing: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what obligatory standards his Department imposes on developers of  (a) social and  (b) private sector housing regarding dwelling space standards.

Ian Austin: With regard to social housing, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 5 May 2009,  Official Report, column 127W and the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 11 March 2009,  Official Report, column 506W.
	With regard to private sector housing, the Government's planning policy for housing (PPS3) is clear on the need to achieve high quality new housing, which includes consideration of the amount and use of space within and around the home.

Housing: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Valuation Office Agency's policy is on providing information to householders on the methodology by which their property was valued when such requests are made under Section 18(2)(h) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.

Barbara Follett: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) may consider the value of a householder's property for various different purposes including council tax, right to buy (RTB), compulsory purchase and national taxes such as inheritance tax and capital gains tax. For council tax detailed information on the methodology adopted is available on the VOA's website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk
	For other purposes if the householder is the person to whom the valuation relates (for instance is buying their property under RTB or is the subject of a taxation assessment) the VOA will either as a matter of normal business or upon request, provide appropriate details of the methodology used in valuing the property.

Legal Opinion

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 11 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 488-9W, on legal opinion, what the nature of the legal opinion and the associated issue of law was that was obtained in relation to the  (a) FiReControl Project,  (b) Firelink Project,  (c) Gypsy and Traveller Sites Grant Project and  (d) Home Information Pack Register Project.

Barbara Follett: Legal advice was provided on a regular and ongoing basis. The majority will be protected by Legal Professional Privilege or commercial confidentiality or both. Providing detailed information about advice obtained would be at disproportionate cost.

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1547W, on the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, what factors arising from his Department's consultation exercise are contributing to the delay in the implementation of Part 6 of the Act.

Barbara Follett: We will publish shortly our response to the consultation paper 'The Making and Enforcement of Byelaws', having considered in particular the issues of ensuring a robust process of consultation between a council and the community before the making of any byelaws and their enforcement.

Local Government: Conditions of Employment

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an assessment has been made of the effect on local authorities of the ruling of the European Court of Justice on allowing workers to claim sick leave while away on holiday leave; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	We are of course aware of the recent judgment from the ECJ on Francisco Vicente Pereda  v. Madrid Movilidad SA. We are carefully considering the potential implications not only for the public sector but all employers and will make our conclusions known in due course.

Local Government: Co-operation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has assessed the consequences of the Court of Appeal judgment in the case of Brent borough council v Risk Management Partners Limited on  (a) two-tier joint working in local authorities and  (b) his Department's Total Place pilots.

Rosie Winterton: The Court of Appeal judgment in the case of Brent borough council  v. Risk Management Partners Ltd. confirmed that local authorities are entitled to co-operate with each other in the performance of their functions. We have provided local authorities with a power to establish and participate together in mutual insurance corporate bodies through the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill. We have not specifically assessed the consequences of the judgment on two-tier joint working in local authorities or the Department's total place pilots.

Local Government: Research

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 14 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, which local government research projects have been  (a) delayed and  (b) cancelled.

Barbara Follett: A research project scheduled for 2008-09 on 'The New Local Area Performance Framework estimation of impact' was commissioned later than expected in September 2009. A project to study 'Joint delivery of Public Services in an Area' was no longer required due to the emergence of initiatives such as the total place pilots.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in Leeds West constituency have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted assistance under the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme in each quarter since the scheme's inception; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Homeowners Mortgage Support is part of the range of assistance available at every stage to households struggling with their mortgage. The scheme encourages lenders to allow households who have suffered a temporary income shock to defer some of their interest payment, if this is necessary to make their monthly payment affordable. The Department plans to publish information in December on the number of households who have been helped through Homeowners Mortgage Support. Statistics from the Financial Services Authority show that more than 135,000 borrowers were benefiting from forbearance offered by their lender at the end of June 2009, an increase of 17 per cent. on the previous quarter.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness in Leeds West constituency of measures to assist homeowners with mortgage repayments; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: CLG have launched a new national campaign to help struggling homeowners across the country take control of their finances and make the most of the support available for them to avoid repossessions and stay in their homes.
	National press and online advertisements are highlighting the measures the Government have put in place at every stage for homeowners to avoid repossession. The advertisements point people to an advice line and a new website illustrating the practical steps they can take to resolve their mortgage repayment worries, as well as contacts for the wide range of support available.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which local authorities discretionary schemes for Houses of Multiple Occupation licensing are in the process of being approved.

Ian Austin: The Department is currently considering applications for discretionary additional HMO licensing schemes from Oxford city council, Breckland council and the London boroughs of Hillingdon, Ealing and Harrow.
	The Department has granted approval to Peterborough city council and the London borough of Hounslow to operate discretionary additional HMO licensing schemes.

National Policy Statements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the publication of the drafts of each of the National Policy Statements on planning.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing (John Healey) on 19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1315W, to question 292854 on National Policy Statements (NPSs) for the timetable for the preparation of the first tranche NPSs on nationally significant infrastructure.
	The remaining four NPSs are being produced on a longer time frame. We intend to consult on the waste water NPSs in spring 2010 and hazardous waste NPS in summer 2010, and aim to designate them in 2011. We intend to consult on the airports NPS by 2011 with a view to designating it later that year. Finally we intend to consult on the water supply NPS in late 2010 once the final water resource management plans are published, which are needed to inform the NPS, with the aim of designating that NPS by early 2012.

New Economics Foundation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments his Department has made to the New Economics Foundation since its inception; and for what purposes each such payment was made.

Barbara Follett: The Department has not made any payments to the New Economics Foundation to date in this financial year.

Non-Domestic Rates: Advertising

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a billboard site with no poster is deemed to be an empty property for the purposes of empty property rates relief.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer previously given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 11 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 2065-066W.
	The legal provisions on the rating of hereditaments where advertising rights are concerned are complex and the legal position will very much depend on the exact facts at play. However, in many cases it is the right to use a hoarding or other structure for advertising which is the hereditament and, therefore, which is rateable. In such circumstances that hereditament is considered occupied for rating purposes whether or not the advertising right is being exercised.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of hereditaments in London are  (a) above and  (b) below the £50,000 rateable value threshold according to (i) the 2005 Rating List and (ii) the latest modelling for the 2010 Rating List.

Barbara Follett: The HMRC figures published for the 2005 Ratings List at April 1 2009 show a total of 280,000 hereditaments in London. Of these, 240,000 hereditaments (86 per cent. of all London hereditaments) were equal to or were below the £50,000 threshold, while 40,000 hereditaments were above that threshold (14 per cent. of all London hereditaments).
	The draft 2010 Ratings List has a total of 280,000 hereditaments in London. Of these 230,000 hereditaments (82 per cent.) of all London hereditaments) were equal to or below the £50,000 threshold and 50,000 hereditaments were above that threshold (18 per cent. of all London hereditaments). The dataset used is consistent with the consultation document titled: The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England, published on 8 July 2009.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/nndrrevaluation2010
	Please note all figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.

Non-Governmental Organisations: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations operating at local level which receive funding from the public purse.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply.
	Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) operate at both national and regional level. Some, but not all of these, deliver services locally. According to Public Bodies 2008, as at 31 March 2008 there were 790 NDPBs sponsored by the UK Government. This is a fall of 67 (8 per cent.) since 1997. Copies of Public Bodies 2008 are available from the Libraries of the House. Public Bodies 2009 will be published in the New Year.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the revenue raised by local authorities from parking  (a) fines and  (b) charges in the latest year for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The latest outturn information for England on the revenue raised by local authorities from on-street parking was as follows:
	Penalty charge notice income: £333.5 million;
	Other sales, fees and charges: £324.5 million.
	These were published in Annex A5 of the 'Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing England 2007-08 Final Outturn' on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/revenue200708finaloutturn

Parking: Supermarkets

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent representations his Department has received on the merits of levying charges to park at supermarkets;
	(2)  what representations his Department has received on supermarket parking charges to be issued by local authorities under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

Barbara Follett: The Department has not received any representations on supermarket parking charges to be issued by local authorities under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 ('the Act'). In line with the Act, the Secretary of State is co-operating with the Local Government Association in its capacity as the selector as it considers proposals submitted under the Act and draws up a short-list for the Secretary of State to consider.
	The Local Government Association is considering proposals submitted under the Act and has received two proposals on supermarket parking charges;
	Exeter city council-in summary the proposal is for Government to give Exeter city council the power to retain revenue from locally imposed non-domestic rates on store car parking spaces, with the power for the Council to allow discounts to stores that source at least 30 per cent. of goods from within 30 miles of Exeter (and which are not first transported to a distribution centre more than 30 miles away).
	Lewes district council-in summary the proposal is for the Secretary of State to take power, or to give local authorities the power, to levy non domestic rates on all store car parking spaces with a power for the council to allow discounts (perhaps up to 100 per cent.) if the supermarket or other store, sources a stated percentage of goods for sale locally.

Planning Permission: Agriculture

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to planning protection arrangements for farmland classified as Best and Most Valued since May 1997; and whether impact assessments were undertaken on the likely effects on England's agricultural capacity of such change.

Ian Austin: Planning Policy Guidance note 7 The Countryside, Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development (PPG7), published in February 1997, was amended by a policy statement issued by the then Planning Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford), on 21 March 2001 to reflect the policy proposals of the Rural White Paper, Our Countryside: The Future (2000) that decisions about proposed development affecting BMV agricultural land should take account of the overall value of the land and that agricultural quality should be treated as one factor. Full details were given in response to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles),  Official Report, columns 1339-40W.
	The policy in the statement was subsequently carried forward (in 2004) into Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (PPS7) without change. Draft PPS7 was accompanied by a published impact assessment.
	However, DEFRA have recently published Safeguarding our Soils: A Strategy for England. This announced that they will publish a new toolkit for planners in 2010 to help them to take account of soil functions, including soil carbon storage, in the planning system, and work with this Department to review the effectiveness of the existing planning policy to protect important soils, and whether there is a need to update the policy.

Planning Policy Statement 4

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who responded to his Department's consultation on draft Planning Policy Statement 4.

Ian Austin: A list of the respondents to the Draft Planning Policy Statement 4 will be included as part of the summary of consultation responses which we will publish shortly.

Regional Planning and Development: East of England

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether letters have been sent to local authorities in  (a) the East of England and  (b) the South East by the relevant Government Office on the weight to be given to draft regional spatial strategies; and what guidance is being given to local authorities on the weight to be given to elements of regional spatial strategies which are subject to legal action pending the outcome of that action.

Ian Austin: Policies relating to two districts in the East of England have been remitted to the Secretary of State for further work on the sustainability appraisal. Policies relating to two further districts in the South East of England are currently subject to legal challenge. All other policies in the regional spatial strategies for both the East of England and the South East should be treated as with full development plan status.
	Government office for the East of England have published a statement on their website. Further advice for the South East will follow the outcomes of the legal challenges.

Regional Planning and Development: South West

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest timetable is for approval of the South West Regional Spatial Strategy.

Shahid Malik: The Government announced on 25 September 2009 that they will carry out a further appraisal of whether its proposals for the Regional Spatial Strategy for South West England (SW RSS) are the most sustainable way forward for the Region.
	In light of the appraisal's findings, the Government will then decide what action to take to complete the strategy to provide the clarity and certainty about the future framework for growth in the region which all partners are keen to see.

Shared Ownership Lending Working Group

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the membership of the Shared Ownership Lending Working Group is; what terms of reference have been set for the Group; and on what dates the Group has met.

John Healey: The Shared Ownership Lending Working Group is an official led group comprising representatives from Communities and Local Government, the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the National Housing Federation, the Homes and Communities Agency and the Tenant Services Authority.
	The working group is examining how to overcome some of the potential barriers and disincentives to shared ownership lending. The group has met on four occasions to-date i.e. 9 June, 15 July, 19 August and 14 September.

Social Rented Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take in response to the report by Professor John Hills' on social housing and social mobility.

Ian Austin: John Hills' report has made a significant contribution to the debate about the role of social housing. This Government have taken decisive action to address the challenges raised in John's report and the challenges raised by the current economic climate. We have committed to investing £7.5 billion over two years to deliver up to 112,000 affordable homes and around 15,000 private homes, including £340 million to support local authorities in delivering new council housing. I am also introducing a range of major reforms to the social and private rented sector. This includes the consultations I have recently published on a devolved system of responsibility and funding for council housing, a major review of the private rented sector and changes to social housing allocations to give people confidence that councils allocate housing in their area fairly, and the initiative I have launched to clamp-down on fraud in the social sector. In addition, I will be setting out further details of the Government's plans to support housing recovery and ensure people have access to decent homes later this year.

Social Rented Housing: Tenants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to encourage social landlords to allow social tenants to engage in home working.

Ian Austin: Government are working with social landlords to encourage greater levels of employment among tenants.

Street Warden Scheme: Clothing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has issued to local authorities on use of stab-proof vests by street wardens.

Shahid Malik: This Department has not issued guidance to local authorities on the use of stab-proof vests by street wardens. It is for local authorities, and other organisations employing wardens, to decide how their wardens should be equipped, in the light of local circumstances and health and safety requirements.

Town and Country Planning Association: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 21 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, how much his Department has budgeted for payment to the Town and Country Planning Association in 2009-10 for work on eco-towns.

John Healey: We are currently agreeing an eco-towns work plan with the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) as we move into the implementation stage of the Eco-towns programme, following publication of Planning Policy Statement: eco-towns. As part of this the TCPA will complete the series of best practice worksheets to support those taking forward eco-towns, and we have allocated £22,000 in 2009-10 for this work.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of planning appeals relating to Traveller sites 
	(1)  were  (a) granted and  (b) dismissed in the two years prior to the introduction of Circular 01/06;
	(2)  have been  (a) granted and  (b) dismissed since the introduction of Circular 01/06.

Ian Austin: The Planning Inspectorate's data base does not record planning appeals in this way.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Warm Front Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce the additional amount householders in receipt of a grant from the Warm Front Scheme pay.

David Kidney: holding answer 20 October 2009
	On 23 April we announced our intention to increase Warm Front grant levels from £2,700 to £3,500 (or from £4,000 to £6,000 where oil or a low carbon technology is recommended).
	The number of households that are now asked to make a contribution to the cost of works has reduced from around one in five households, to one in 10.

Warm Front Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in Coventry have received Warm Front Scheme grants to date; and what the average additional amount paid by householders was.

David Kidney: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The following table shows the number of households in Coventry that have received assistance from the Warm Front Scheme, and the average additional amount paid by householders to 30 September 2009.
	
		
			  Households assisted by Warm Front in Coventry from June 2000 to 30 September 2009: 
			   Number/(£) 
			 Total number of households assisted 14,821 
			 Number of households that paid an additional amount 1,808 
			 Average additional amount paid per household (£)(1) 394.41 
			 (1) £394.41 is the average additional amount paid by those 1,808 households that paid a contribution.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Opium

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the opium crop harvested in Afghanistan in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provides estimates of the value of the Afghan opium crop at farm-gate prices (the value the farmer receives) in their annual Afghan Opium Surveys. These figures reflect changes in the opium price and poppy cultivation. The estimated values for the last five years are in the following table:
	
		
			  US$ billion 
			 2005 0.56 
			 2006 0.76 
			 2007 1 
			 2008 0.732 
			 2009 0.438

Bosnia-Herzegovina: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the outcome of the Butmir meeting on 9 October in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and what the Government's policy is on political reform in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

David Miliband: We welcome and fully support this joint EU/US push for political reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It provides an important opportunity to make progress on priority areas for reform in BiH and we are urging BiH's political leaders to engage fully and constructively ahead of and during the next scheduled meeting on 20-21 October 2009.

Gilad Shalit

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had since July 2009 with Arab governments on  (a) the imprisonment of Israeli Soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas and  (b) the refusal of Hamas to allow Gilad Shalit visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I raised the continued captivity of Gilad Shalit and Hamas' refusal to allow humanitarian access with the Palestinian authorities during my visit to the region in August 2009. We have also made our position on these issues very clear in international meetings, most recently in the Security Council debate on the Middle East on 14 October 2009.

Guinea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government has made of the level of respect for human rights in Guinea following the violence at an Opposition rally on 28 September 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We believe that an accurate assessment of the human rights situation in Guinea can only be secured by an independent investigation into recent events, including the gross violations that took place on 28 September. The UK, as a member of the International Contact Group for Guinea, is actively considering with the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States the scope for an urgent independent international inquiry to conduct such an investigation.

Guinea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to assist regional mediation efforts to restore democracy and constitutional order in Guinea following the violence at an Opposition rally on 28 September 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: As a member of the International Contact Group for Guinea, the UK is in regular contact with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union encouraging and supporting them in their efforts to take urgent and robust action on Guinea. We support the appointment by ECOWAS of President Campoare of Burkina Faso as mediator to the current crisis in Guinea.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Iranian Government on the development of a nuclear programme in that country in the last month; and what the outcomes were of such discussions.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, in the margins of the UN General Assembly on 22 September 2009. He underlined to Mr. Mottaki the need for Iran to restore the international community's confidence in Iran's nuclear programme through the path the E3+3 had laid out, stressing in particular the need for transparency.
	The Foreign Secretary and his E3+3 colleagues met on 23 September 2009 and agreed on the E3+3's strategy. Following this, officials from the E3+3 and Iran met on 1 October 2009. This meeting agreed on several practical steps that, if they come to fruition, may build confidence. We look to the next meeting of the group, before the end of October 2009, to make progress on the key issues relating to Iran's nuclear programme.

Karpas

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times officials from his Department have visited Greek Cypriot people living in enclaves in the Karpas in the last 12 months; what the outcomes were of those visits; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The British high commission frequently visit the Karpaz region and we follow events there closely. The high commissioner recently met with the Bishop of Karpaz and with the Rizokarpasso associations, where he discussed the position of the Greek Cypriot people living in the Karpaz.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Quartet counterparts regarding the renewal of the tenure of the Quartet Special Envoy; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with his counterparts about the tenure of the Quartet Representative.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 381, on the Middle East: peace negotiations, how many staff his Department plans to second to support the role of the Quartet Special Envoy in 2010; what the  (a) grades and  (b) salary ranges of such staff will be; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has currently seconded one higher executive officer equivalent (salary range £23,157 to £33,004) and one senior civil servant (salary range £58,200 to £117,750) to work in the Quartet Representative's office. There are no plans to change this.

Northern Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will commission research on the likely numbers of Greek Cypriots who would return to live under the Turkish Cypriot administration in northern Cyprus in the event of a settlement.

Chris Bryant: No.

Somalia: Piracy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the EU has provided to the Kenyan government to improve its naval capacity in relation to the suppression of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Chris Bryant: The EU and its member states are eager to support capacity building in Kenya, and the Kenyan Government have been engaged in dialogue to ascertain priority needs, including regarding naval capacity. The UK, as chair of Working Group 1 of the international Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), led a needs assessment mission to the Horn of Africa in September 2009, involving the European Commission as well as other partners. The assessment identified a number of priority Kenyan naval requirements, and these will be discussed shortly among CGPCS partners.
	On wider counter-piracy activity, the European Commission is supporting the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the implementation of a jointly developed programme for support for the trial and related treatment of piracy suspects in Kenya. The programme budget is €1.75 million. This programme began on 15 May 2009 and will run for 18 months, with other countries also contributing to this project.

Sri Lanka

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to other EU member states on the renewal of Generalised System of Preferences plans in respect of Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	The issue of the renewal of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP+) in respect of Sri Lanka has been raised in several meetings with my EU counterparts. Along with other EU member states the United Kingdom supported the EU Commission's decision to initiate an investigation into Sri Lanka's effective implementation of the GSP+ conventions.
	The UK Government are committed to ensuring that the GSP+ scheme is robust and effectively implemented. It is important that we treat all countries objectively and fairly, according to the GSP+ regulation. We have consistently encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to engage constructively with the European Commission in its investigation.

UN Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government plans to ratify the amendment to the UN Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Explanatory Memorandum and Command Paper concerning the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material was laid before Parliament on 16 July 2009 for the required 21 sitting days, ending on 4 November 2009. After 4 November 2009 the instrument of ratification will be prepared by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and signed by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. We expect to be in a position to ratify the convention by early January 2010.

USA: Nuclear Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US administration on methods by which the international stockpile of nuclear weapons may be reduced.

Ivan Lewis: President Barack Obama's engagement and leadership on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament have intensified our already close counter-proliferation co-operation with the US.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regularly discuss these issues, in particular the Iran nuclear case which requires regular close high-level engagement. The US values the UK's contribution.
	President Obama warmly welcomed the UK's Road to 2010 blueprint on nuclear non-proliferation launched by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 16 July 2009 and Secretary of State Clinton gave strong praise to the UK's ideas leadership in the run-up to last month's historic UN Security Council Summit chaired by President Bill Clinton.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's estimates are for the number of apprenticeship places available in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2013-14; and what the target number of apprenticeship places for each of these years was in 2007.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills do not create estimates for the number of apprenticeships places that will be available each year but produce trajectories based on available funding. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Grant Letter 2009-10 published in November 2008 set out the planned number of LSC funded apprenticeships starts for academic years 2008/09 and 2009/10 (Table 1.1 as follows).
	
		
			  Table 1.1: Funded apprenticeship starts  (academic years) 
			   Total starts 
			 2008/09 228,000 
			 2009/10 238,000 
			  Note: Agreed funding from the LSC Grant Letter 2009-10 published in November 2008. 
		
	
	In addition to these places, on 7 January 2009 the Prime Minister announced a £140 million package to provide an extra 35,000 Apprenticeship places over the financial year 2009-10.
	Funding has not been agreed for subsequent years and so agreed trajectories for 2010/11 onwards have yet to be constructed but we are aiming to deliver 250,000 starts per year by 2020.

Apprentices

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people  (a) started and  (b) completed a higher apprenticeship in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: Higher-level apprenticeships were introduced in the 2006-07 academic year, and are only available in a limited number of frameworks, such as engineering and ICT.
	In 2007-08, there were 60 higher-level apprenticeship starts, the latest full-year for which we have data. In the first nine months of 2008-09 (provisional), there were 90 higher-level apprenticeship starts.
	Due to the length of these programmes, as at 30 April 2009, there have been 10 higher-level apprenticeship framework completions.
	The Department will shortly publish the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards For England (SASE), which will for the first time set out the essential components and standards for all apprenticeship frameworks. The SASE will require that all apprenticeship frameworks include clear career progression routes, including those through higher and further education. Over time, as we encourage the development of more higher-level apprenticeship frameworks, we would expect that more people will progress from an advanced apprenticeship, to develop these higher level skills.

Apprentices: Unemployment

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people completing apprenticeships remained unemployed two years after the apprenticeship ended in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: An apprenticeship is a work-based programme and an apprentice must have a job or a work placement as a condition of completing their apprenticeship framework. Many will already be in permanent employment prior to the end of their apprenticeship. Management information on the subsequent employment of apprentices is not available.
	We collect information about the destinations of learners in to learning and employment through the Framework for Excellence. We expect to review the quality and relevance of this data in the future, including the feasibility of how it can be used to identify the employment status of those learners who have completed apprenticeships.

Aspire Fund

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding has been distributed to companies from his Department's Aspire Fund since 19 November 2008; how many companies have received such funding; and how many awards from that fund have been  (a) below £100,000,  (b) between £100,000 and £299,000,  (c) between £300,000 and £499,000,  (d) between £500,000 and £749,000,  (e) between £750,000 and £999,000,  (f) between £1 million and £1.49 million,  (g) between £1.5 million and £2 million and  (h) over £2 million.

Rosie Winterton: On 7 July 2009 a first investment was completed worth £700,000 which included funding of £350,000 from the Aspire Fund. On 11 August 2009, a second offer totalling £1 million and including £400,000 Aspire funding was also completed.
	There are two further deals in legal stages, one of which totals £1.5 million of funding with the Aspire Fund providing £400,000 towards that investment. The second totals £1.3 million of funding with the Aspire Fund providing £350,000 towards investment. These two deals are expected to complete in early September.
	There are seven further potential deals under active consideration looking to raise £4.6 million in total, with the Aspire Fund providing approximately £2.2 million of this.

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to assist  (a) small,  (b) medium-sized and  (c) large businesses in Essex; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1689W.

Business: Government Assistance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) start-up and  (b) established businesses in each region had received assistance from each participating bank under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  when he plans to respond to question 286233, on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, tabled on 8 July 2009.

Rosie Winterton: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee was launched on 14 January. The tables provide details of the number and value of loans offered and drawn down by age of business for each region.
	
		
			  Number of loans offered 
			  Region  Not known  0 to  3 months  3 months to 1 year  1 to 2 years  2 to 3 years  3 to 4 years  4 to 5 years  Over 5 years  Total 
			 East Midlands - 38 27 19 26 29 11 181 331 
			 East of England 2 76 33 45 37 28 38 287 546 
			 London 2 66 39 35 38 37 35 293 545 
			 North East - 24 8 14 19 10 10 80 165 
			 North West 1 78 44 33 37 40 46 208 487 
			 Northern Ireland - 5 2 3 4 4 2 24 44 
			 Scotland - 69 18 21 17 19 19 150 313 
			 South East 1 74 42 45 36 48 40 390 676 
			 South West 3 55 32 42 42 43 46 274 537 
			 Wales 1 44 10 16 17 12 13 121 234 
			 West Midlands 2 64 25 32 36 27 30 228 444 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2 52 26 17 13 19 18 134 281 
			 Total 14 645 306 322 322 316 308 2,370 4,603 
		
	
	
		
			  Value of loans offered 
			  £ million 
			  Region  Not known  0 to  3 months  3 months to 1 year  1 to 2 years  2 to 3 years  3 to 4 years  4 to 5 years  Over 5 years  Total 
			 East Midlands - 2.98 1.79 1.00 2.87 1.47 1.74 24.34 36.18 
			 East of England 0.22 4.64 0.92 2.35 3.32 1.82 3.69 30.21 47.16 
			 London 0.41 5.02 2.80 3.30 2.60 3.36 3.14 39.60 60.22 
			 North East - 1.79 0.61 0.72 1.60 0.51 0.59 10.15 15.98 
			 North West 0.25 4.83 3.04 2.05 2.65 4.25 6.16 23.84 47.08 
			 Northern Ireland - 0.88 0.14 0.37 1.11 0.10 0.25 5.70 8.55 
			 Scotland - 3.48 1.17 1.25 1.58 2.60 2.07 29.02 41.16 
			 South East 0.10 5.81 3.12 3.10 3.75 3.53 3.38 45.09 8.55 
			 South West 0.13 2.77 2.50 2.03 2.25 2.21 3.56 32.61 41.16 
			 Wales 0.03 2.57 0.60 1.35 0.71 0.66 1.12 10.89 67.89 
			 West Midlands 0.24 4.62 1.26 3.01 3.13 1.47 1.81 26.40 48.06 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1.17 2.90 2.34 1.18 1.04 1.33 1.82 17.89 29.68 
			 Total 2.55 42.29 20.27 21.73 26.61 23.30 29.33 295.74 461.82 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of loans drawn 
			  Region  Not known  0 to 3 months  3 months to 1 year  1 to 2 years  2 to 3 years  3 to 4 years  4 to 5 years  Over 5 years  Total 
			 East Midlands - 29 20 16 20 20 6 137 248 
			 East of England 2 55 28 37 29 20 29 217 417 
			 London 2 50 31 27 24 28 23 211 396 
			 North East - 17 5 12 15 6 10 61 126 
			 North West 1 62 38 28 33 35 42 175 414 
			 Northern Ireland - 4 2 2 4 - 1 15 28 
			 Scotland - 54 12 17 14 17 17 124 255 
			 South East 1 57 37 37 25 42 28 294 521 
			 South West 2 39 26 31 37 37 37 213 422 
			 Wales 1 29 7 14 15 8 10 86 170 
			 West Midlands 1 49 19 27 30 22 23 170 341 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1 44 23 14 12 17 14 95 220 
			 Total 11 489 248 262 258 252 240 1,798 3,558 
		
	
	
		
			  Value of loans drawn 
			  £ million 
			  Region  Not known  0 to 3 months  3 months to 1 year  1 to 2 years  2 to 3 years  3 to 4 years  4 to 5 years  Over 5 years  Total 
			 East Midlands - 2.38 1.51 0.72 2.02 1.02 0.91 17.64 26.22 
			 East of England 0.22 2.71 0.79 2.09 2.91 1.36 3.39 23.13 36.60 
			 London 0.41 3.43 2.01 2.37 1.47 2.37 2.48 26.89 41.43 
			 North East - 1.05 0.47 0.65 1.24 0.35 0.59 6.55 10.90 
			 North West 0.25 3.99 2.77 1.89 2.32 3.49 5.54 20.65 40.90 
			 Northern Ireland - 0.81 0.14 0.28 1.11  0.02 3.24 5.59 
			 Scotland - 3.02 0.83 1.15 0.99 2.46 1.87 22.43 32.75 
			 South East 0.10 3.88 2.83 2.67 2.30 3.13 2.07 32.82 50.81 
			 South West 0.07 2.12 2.10 1.32 1.99 1.95 2.37 22.56 34.48 
			 Wales 0.03 1.71 0.41 0.85 0.60 0.34 0.73 6.85 11.53 
			 West Midlands 0.06 3.37 0.84 2.74 1.88 1.17 1.49 19.26 30.80 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 0.59 2.38 1.66 1.01 0.92 1.17 1.40 12.63 21.75 
			 Total 1.71 30.83 16.39 17.72 19.75 18.80 22.88 215.64 343.73

Charlie Whelan

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1047W, on Charlie Whelan, whether the EU Agency Workers Directive was discussed at the meeting between the Secretary of State and Charlie Whelan on 15 January 2009.

Patrick McFadden: The EU agency workers directive was not discussed but rather employment issues in the automotive sector.

Departmental Research

Frank Doran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned on the extent to which pension matters are included in collective bargaining negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Officials in BIS and DWP have undertaken several case studies examining the way particular organisations and their trade unions have addressed pension matters within the context of collective bargaining. No external research has been commissioned on this topic.

Finance: Environment Protection

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the £250 million Low Carbon Industrial Strategy Fund has been  (a) allocated and (b) spent to date on each project which has received funding.

Patrick McFadden: The first investments from the £250 million of funding for low carbon economic development in the Strategic Investment Fund were set out in the UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy on 15 July and further investments have since also been announced. The funding that has been committed, or earmarked for specific projects and investments, includes:
	Up to £120 million to support development of a British based offshore wind industry.
	Up to £30 million to capitalise on Britain's wave and tidal sector strengths
	Up to £10 million for the accelerated deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
	A £4 million expansion of the Manufacturing Advisory Service.
	£45 million to support research and technology into low carbon aeroengine projects.
	£2.5 million to a Carbon Trust technology investment joint venture to help UK companies develop new low carbon technologies in China.
	By way of example, specific projects supported include Wave Hub-a groundbreaking project in the south west of England creating the UK's first offshore facility for the demonstration of wave energy generation devices; and marine energy testing facilities at the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC). Offshore wind investments include funding for new offshore wind manufacturing facilities in the UK and investment in the development of next generation and near-market offshore wind technologies through large scale demonstration.
	The Department has published an update on the entire £750 million Strategic Investment Fund, of which the low carbon SIF is a part, and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Further Education: Hampshire

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many further education colleges in Hampshire have delayed building projects because of problems with funding from the Learning and Skills Council; and what the estimated cost of each of these projects is.

Kevin Brennan: Capital funding for Further Education colleges is administered by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested is with regard to an operational matter for the Council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested.
	A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Higher Education

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the undergraduate completion rate in higher education was in each higher education institution in each year since 2003.

David Lammy: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes the 'Performance Indicators in Higher Education' which cover projected outcomes of full-time first degree starters.
	The following link shows the relevant part of the HESA website to access data since 2003:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/category/2/32/l41/
	Table 5 covers projected outcomes of full-time first degree starters. The completion rate covers starters who are expected to gain a degree. However, the more frequently used rate is the non completion rate (projected to neither gain an award nor transfer to another institution) which accounts for starters who obtain another award, or transfer.
	The completion rate tables lag behind the widening participation indicators by one year due to the need for an extra year's data to determine which students are still in HE. Therefore, the most recent figures refer to the 2006/07 academic year. Projected outcomes for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in 2010.
	The UK is maintaining very good completion rates for first degrees with the latest statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing that the UK ranks 3(rd) of the 27 countries reporting data in this area. This has been achieved and maintained during a period when higher education has been opened up to both increased numbers and a greater diversity of students.

Higher Education: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of applicants from Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency who achieved the required grades but did not secure a place at a university in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

David Lammy: The information is not held centrally. Each institution is autonomous and can set their own academic and non-academic entry requirements for each course.

Higher Education: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students who had obtained A-Levels or an equivalent qualification in Leeds North West went on to higher education during the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The latest information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows that in the 2007-08 academic year there were 565 all-aged undergraduate entrants to higher education from the Leeds North West constituency, who had obtained A-Levels or an equivalent qualification as their highest qualification on entry.
	Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available from HESA in January 2010.

Legal Profession: Fees and Charges

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service has made of the effect of no-win no-fee lawyers in employment tribunals.

Patrick McFadden: The Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) has made no assessment of the effect of no-win no-fee lawyers in employment tribunals.

Legal Profession: Fees and Charges

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the protocol on how the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service responds to the intervention of no-win no-fee lawyers in employment tribunals.

Patrick McFadden: The Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) has no specific protocol on dealing with no-win no-fee lawyers in employment tribunal claims. Where parties have appointed representatives in relation to such proceedings, and wish ACAS to communicate with them through their representatives, the conciliator will do so. This applies in the same way regardless of what arrangements the party and their representative may have entered into over fees for the provision of advice and/or representation.

Manufacturing Industries: Government Assistance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what projects have been granted funding under the advanced manufacturing package.

Ian Lucas: The advanced manufacturing package announced on 28 July 2009 provides £151.5 million of support to British manufacturers. Key projects include £45 million funding to Rolls-Royce to support four new advanced manufacturing facilities built in the UK, £45 million to support Rolls-Royce led research and technology critical to the development of low-carbon aircraft engines, £40 million investment in SAMULET research and technology programme, a £12 million expansion of the Printable Electronics Centre in Sedgefield, an additional £5 million investment from the Technology Strategy Board in collaborative RD projects as part of its high value manufacturing competition, and a £0.5 million investment to support the development of a centre of excellence for silicon design in the south west.

Post Offices: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which Post Office services in North East Fife constituency comply with the access criteria set out in the Network Change Programme.

Patrick McFadden: I understand from Post Office Ltd. that Post Office services in North East Fife constituency comply with the access criteria as set out in the Network Change Programme. All of the local postcode districts meet the local access criteria and have done so since the criteria were introduced.

Postage Stamps: Prices

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment the Government have made of the effect on businesses of an increase in the price of first and second class stamps.

Patrick McFadden: Postcomm's price control proposals are subject to a current public consultation. The Government would encourage all interested or concerned parties to respond to the consultation which is due to close on October 26, 2009. More details can be found on the Regulator's website at:
	http://www.psc.gov.uk/news-and-events/news-releases/2009/consultation-on-changes-to-price-control-from-april-2010.html

Postage Stamps: Prices

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with Royal Mail on plans to increase the price of first and second class stamps.

Patrick McFadden: Ministers and BIS officials meet with representatives from Royal Mail on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues, including regulatory issues. No specific meetings have been held to discuss the current price control proposals.
	We would strongly encourage all interested stakeholders to respond to the current consultation which is due to close on October 26 2009. More information can be found on the regulator's website:
	http://www.psc.gov.uk/news-and-events/news-releases/2009/consultation-on-changes-to-price-control-from-april-2010.html

Publishing

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has undertaken an analysis of skills needs in the publishing industry; what assessment he has made of digital skills needs in the industry; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department supports the work of the Sector Skills Council Skillset which covers the publishing industry. Skillset began working with the publishing industry in April 2008. Since then, they have completed primary and secondary research into the size, shape and skills needs of the sector. A Publishing Skills Needs Analysis was published by Skillset at the beginning of 2009 and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Industry consultation led by Skillset took place in the spring and a skills strategy and action plan has subsequently been produced. This has identified five strategic areas of focus. These are to develop skills for the workforce in a digital context; inform aspiring entrants of the realities of the industry and improve diversity and equality of access; develop marketing, advertising and media sales skills for the work force; identify leadership, management and business support opportunities; and bridge the gap between education and employment and the relevance of higher and further education. A number of projects are under way to address these goals.

Royal Mail

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what volume of mail was handled by Royal Mail in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2005,  (c) 2006,  (d) 2007,  (e) 2008 and  (f) 2009.

Patrick McFadden: I include a table of mail volumes delivered by Royal Mail every working day for each of the years in question.
	
		
			  Financial year (April-March)  Volume of mail delivered every working day by Royal Mail (to the nearest million items) 
			 1996-97 66 
			 2004-05 84 
			 2005-06 84 
			 2006-07 83 
			 2007-08 80 
			 2008-09 75

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many working days at Royal Mail have been lost owing to industrial action in each year since 2000.

Patrick McFadden: I include a table of working days lost at Royal Mail each year since 2000 owing to industrial action.
	
		
			  Financial year (April-March)  Working days lost 
			 2000-01 62,909 
			 2001-02 53,139 
			 2002-03 5,766 
			 2003-04 85,464 
			 2004-05 7,099 
			 2005-06 12,428 
			 2006-07 6,921 
			 2007-08 627,608 
			 2008-09 1,167 
			 2009 (April to 12 October) 130,272

Royal Mail: Meetings

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings between the management of Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union a Minister from the Government have attended in the last 12 months; and in what capacity such Ministers attended in each case.

Patrick McFadden: Ministers have not attended any joint meetings between the management of Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union in the last 12 months. Ministers keep in regular touch with both Royal Mail management and the Communication Workers Union.

Train to Gain Programme

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of learners trained under the Train to Gain programme who would have received training from their employer in the absence of the programme.

Kevin Brennan: We have made no such estimate.

Train to Gain: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to simplify the operation of Train to Gain; what the annual budget for Train to Gain is; and if he will discuss how to improve its operation with regional development agencies.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has introduced a range of measures to streamline Train to Gain for employers and skills providers and to simplify access. For example, we have brought together the Train to Gain and Business Link brokerage services to make it easier for businesses to identify the learning requirements of their staff, alongside their wider business needs. We are continuing to monitor Train to Gain with the aim of reducing paperwork and easing administrative burdens on providers.
	The budget for 2009-10 is £925 million as set out in the Learning and Skills Council Grant Letter for 2009-10.
	In future Regional Development Agencies will have a stronger role in articulating skills priorities for their regions, which will influence training provision through Train to Gain and other programmes.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the reasons are for the time taken to answer question 245130, tabled on 15 December 2008, on replies to correspondence.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 16 July 2009
	I am responding to the hon. Member today.
	 Substantive answer from Kevin Brennan to Adrian Sanders:
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the extraordinary delay in responding to his question.
	The issue raised in his original correspondence was unusually difficult in terms of departmental lead, and officials mistakenly decided to wait until a decision had been made before responding to the question.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each police force area were  (a) prosecuted,  (b) cautioned and  (c) issued with a penalty notice for disorder for selling alcohol to a person under the age of 18 in 2008.

Alan Campbell: Data from 2008 will be available in January 2010.

Asylum: Children

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have sought asylum in the UK in each of the last five years; how many such children have been the subject of an age dispute; and how many such age dispute cases were resolved in favour of the asylum claimant.

Alan Johnson: The following table shows the number of asylum applications by unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASCs) made between 2004 and 2008 and the number of applications which were the subject of an age dispute. Figures on the number of asylum applications by unaccompanied asylum seeking children involving an age dispute which were subsequently resolved in favour of the applicant are not collated by the UK Border Agency and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. The Quarterly Control of Immigration Q2 2009 and the annual Control of Immigration 2008 was published on 27 August 2009 and is available in the House Library and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Unaccompanied asylum seeking children applications received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, on applications and age disputed applications, 2004-08( 1) 
			  Principal applicants 
			   Applications( 2, 3)  Age disputed applications( 4, 5) 
			   Total  Port  In country  Total  Port  In country 
			 2004 2,990 540 2,455 2,345 265 2,080 
			 2005 2,965 445 2,520 2,425 215 2,215 
			 2006 3,450 395 3,055 2,270 215 2,055 
			 2007(6) 3,525 460 3,065 1,915 225 1,690 
			 2008(6) 3,970 350 3,620 1,390 135 1,255 
			 (1) Figures rounded to nearest 5, with '*' = 1 or 2 and '-' =0 and may not sum due to independent rounding. (2) An Unaccompanied asylum seeking child (UASC) is a person under 18, or who, in the absence of documentary evidence establishing age, appears to be under that age; is applying for asylum in his or her own right and; is separated from both parents and is not being cared for by an adult who by law or custom has responsibility to do so. (3) Figures exclude age dispute cases. (4) An age dispute case refers to an applicant who claims to be a child, but whose appearance and/or demeanour strongly suggests that they are 18 or over, and whose age is disputed by the UK Border Agency unless there is credible documentary or other persuasive evidence to demonstrate the age claimed. (5) Includes cases for which age disputed at time of application. (6) Provisional figures.

Asylum: Housing

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  in which local authority areas the UK Border Agency has housed asylum seekers who are eligible for temporary accommodation in housing owned by social landlords;
	(2)  in which local authority areas the UK Border Agency has rented empty social housing to accommodate asylum seekers.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency has 30 contracts with 18 suppliers on a national basis for the provision of accommodation for eligible asylum seekers.
	The UK Border Agency has contracts with:
	 Five public sector consortia:
	North West Consortium (which comprises Manchester city council, Blackburn with Darwen council, Oldham metropolitan borough council, Bolton metropolitan borough council, council of the city of Salford, Bury Metropolitan borough council and Rochdale metropolitan borough council).
	West Midlands Consortium (which comprises Birmingham city council, Coventry city council, Dudley metropolitan borough council and Wolverhampton city council).
	Yorkshire and Humberside Consortium (which comprises Leeds city council., The Sheffield city council, The borough council of Calderdale, Kingston Upon Hull city council, The council borough of Kirklees, The city of Wakefield metropolitan district council, The City of Bradford metropolitan district council, Barnsley metropolitan borough council, Doncaster borough council and Rotherham borough council).
	North East Consortium (which comprises Newcastle Upon Tyne city council, Gateshead metropolitan borough council, Sunderland city council, Tyneside Metropolitan borough council, Middlesbrough borough council, Stockton borough council and Darlington borough council).
	 Northern Ireland Housing Executive
	Five city councils:
	Liverpool
	Nottingham
	Cardiff
	Swansea
	Glasgow
	Two not-for-profit organisations:
	YMCA Glasgow
	Refugee Housing Association (operating in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham)
	Six private sector companies
	The consortia, the city councils and the not-for-profit organisations may partly or wholly source their accommodation from social landlords.
	The UK Border Agency does not maintain records of which particular accommodation units are sourced from social landlords. However, unless the UK Border Agency permitted sharing within relevant law then the property would be empty before accommodating asylum seekers.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 137W, on Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), what data is collected by the National ANPR Data Centre other than that ANPR data which is collected and stored locally.

Alan Johnson: The only data collected by the National ANPR Data Centre (NADC) are that which are collected and stored locally.
	The NADC is currently under development and test. There are 40 police forces now supplying data and all police forces will be doing so by the end of 2009.
	Information specifically relating to 2005 is not held centrally and some information would not be held on either the local or central ANPR systems.

British Nationality

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals have become regularised British citizens by each route to nationality in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: Statistics on persons granted British citizenship are published annually and quarterly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletins British Citizenship Statistics United Kingdom, 2008 and Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom July to September 2009. These publications may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Broadcasting Programmes: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding his Department allocated to support the television production Good 4 the Hood.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The Home Office partnered with the youth targeted channel MTV to develop the Good 4 The Hood campaign, to engage and inspire young people to be part of the solution in overcoming crime in their local area. The Home Office has spent a total of £70,000 on production costs for the Good 4 The Hood campaign. These costs included the production of TV and online adverts, a bespoke website and the four part MTV series.

Cybercrime: EC Action

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he plans to take towards ratification of the European Cybercrime Convention.

Alan Campbell: The Government are committed to ratifying the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention. We are currently working through the process of ratification, following which we will lay the required Explanatory Memorandum before Parliament to obtain approval for ratification. If Parliament agrees to ratification, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will then commence the formal ratification process with the Council of Europe.

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many profiles have been removed from the national DNA database by each police force in each month since 9 March 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Table 1 shows the number of subject profiles removed from the National DNA Database under the exceptional case procedure, i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible police force from the person concerned, in each month from 9 March 2009 to 15 October 2009. The table covers subject profiles from English and Welsh forces and the British Transport police.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of subject profiles removed from the National DNA Database by each police force from 9 March 2009 to 15 October 2009 
			  Force  9 to 31 March  April  May  June  July  August  September  1 to 15 October 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 British Transport Police 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 City of London 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 
			 Derbyshire 1 0 0 1 3 8 2 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Dorset 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Durham 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 4 16 4 2 2 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Kent 0 1 4 2 4 0 5 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Metropolitan 5 4 13 7 4 9 10 1 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 1 0 0 2 5 1 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 3 0 8 1 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Surrey 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 1 1 4 0 1 1 1 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 
			 West Midlands 0 4 0 1 2 2 5 0 
			 West Yorkshire 3 0 1 0 3 1 1 2 
			 Wiltshire 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 13 19 36 47 50 35 43 12

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new profiles have been added to the national DNA database by each police force in each month since 8 July 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The figures in table 1 show the number of subject profiles added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD) by English and Welsh forces and the British Transport Police in each month between 9 July 2009 and 15 October 2009, broken down by the police force which took the sample.
	The figures in table 2 show the number of crime scene profiles added to the NDNAD by English and Welsh forces and the British Transport Police in each month between 9 July 2009 and 15 October 2009, broken down by the police force which collected the sample.
	The number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals. A proportion of DNA profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded on more then one occasion (this may be because the person gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because of upgrading of profiles). It is currently estimated that 13.8 per cent. of subject profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates. The replication rate of 13.8 per cent. should only be applied over the entire database however, as the replication rate for individual police forces varies considerably. The presence of these replicate profiles on the NDNAD does not impact on the effectiveness and integrity of the database.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Subject profiles added to the NDNAD between: 
			  Force  9 July 2009 and 31 July 2009  1 August 2009 and 31 August 2009  1 September 2009 and 30 September 2009  1 October 2009 and 15 October 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 903 953 934 464 
			 Bedfordshire 548 638 452 274 
			 British Transport 376 538 494 232 
			 Cambridgeshire 338 502 400 272 
			 Cheshire 451 793 608 266 
			 City of London Police 108 63 147 65 
			 Cleveland 303 547 443 224 
			 Cumbria 270 387 510 160 
			 Derbyshire 555 584 595 274 
			 Devon and Cornwall 676 1,030 830 449 
			 Dorset 385 457 432 141 
			 Durham 355 356 326 129 
			 Dyfed-Powys 296 187 150 104 
			 Essex 1,068 1,134 1,448 459 
			 Gloucestershire 373 590 544 335 
			 Greater Manchester Police 1,797 2,048 2,022 851 
			 Gwent 405 323 467 308 
			 Hampshire 908 1,118 1,265 508 
			 Hertfordshire 432 801 701 234 
			 Humberside 559 687 701 373 
			 Kent 855 1,174 1,136 548 
			 Lancashire 1,167 1,251 978 368 
			 Leicestershire 380 500 492 125 
			 Lincolnshire 363 550 583 288 
			 Merseyside 2,163 2,279 3,829 993 
			 Metropolitan Police 5,462 6,710 5,449 3,197 
			 Norfolk 324 392 498 120 
			 North Wales 243 598 494 181 
			 North Yorkshire 397 466 501 209 
			 Northamptonshire 346 365 497 215 
			 Northumbria 829 942 721 700 
			 Nottinghamshire 634 498 530 239 
			 South Wales Constabulary 632 789 793 323 
			 South Yorkshire 870 845 881 368 
			 Staffordshire 577 1,164 1,042 458 
			 Suffolk 738 834 696 225 
			 Surrey 334 503 418 200 
			 Sussex 924 341 1,104 437 
			 Thames Valley 1,464 1,572 1,530 623 
			 Warwickshire Police 244 313 321 109 
			 West Mercia 459 562 612 293 
			 West Midlands 1,888 1,477 1,791 753 
			 West Yorkshire 1,240 1,490 1,458 671 
			 Wiltshire 322 507 679 197 
			 Total 33,961 39,858 40,502 17,962 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   Crime scene profiles added to the NDNAD between: 
			  Force  9 July 2009 and 31 July 2009  1 August 2009 and 31 August 2009  1 September 2009 and 30 September 2009  1 October 2009 and 15 October 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 61 66 70 36 
			 Bedfordshire 37 29 39 19 
			 British Transport 37 44 39 10 
			 Cambridgeshire 62 74 63 22 
			 Cheshire 50 60 69 35 
			 City of London Police 6 2 4 0 
			 Cleveland 18 21 19 5 
			 Cumbria 24 34 28 19 
			 Derbyshire 22 39 41 9 
			 Devon and Cornwall 21 44 54 10 
			 Dorset 28 30 24 12 
			 Durham 29 28 38 15 
			 Dyfed-Powys 13 18 12 7 
			 Essex 75 97 81 44 
			 Gloucestershire 20 16 22 7 
			 Greater Manchester Police 259 308 335 133 
			 Gwent 33 33 48 17 
			 Hampshire 82 53 78 32 
			 Hertfordshire 38 46 50 24 
			 Humberside 70 81 75 34 
			 Kent 116 108 138 51 
			 Lancashire 116 172 171 54 
			 Leicestershire 46 53 36 13 
			 Lincolnshire 21 37 25 16 
			 Merseyside 96 101 114 30 
			 Metropolitan Police 403 547 563 198 
			 Norfolk 41 43 64 21 
			 North Wales 50 50 67 21 
			 North Yorkshire 17 30 33 8 
			 Northamptonshire 56 52 59 24 
			 Northumbria 96 117 88 43 
			 Nottinghamshire 57 51 57 33 
			 South Wales Constabulary 62 77 76 29 
			 South Yorkshire 78 95 89 41 
			 Staffordshire 69 79 63 25 
			 Suffolk 37 38 27 5 
			 Surrey 41 47 27 11 
			 Sussex 119 136 154 53 
			 Thames Valley 89 97 88 23 
			 Warwickshire Police 37 29 29 16 
			 West Mercia 51 75 64 27 
			 West Midlands 145 166 159 75 
			 West Yorkshire 110 137 115 49 
			 Wiltshire 18 16 29 7 
			 Total 2,956 3,476 3,524 1,363

DNA: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of recorded crimes were detected using DNA profiles from the National DNA Database in 2008-09.

Alan Campbell: The number and proportion of recorded crimes detected in which a DNA match was available in 2008-09 is shown in table 1. It is also important to note that the detections are achieved through integrated criminal investigation, not through DNA alone. The source of the figures provided is the Forensic performance data, which is collected from police forces by the Home Office.
	The figures for the number of crimes detected in which a DNA match was available only include crimes detected in which a DNA match was reported by the National DNA Database (NDNAD). They do not include DNA matches which arise through case work in serious crime, which usually involve comparing DNA profiles in a forensic laboratory, or DNA matches arising from one-off speculative searches of the NDNAD. Data on DNA matches from casework and speculative searches are not included in the police Forensic performance data.
	The presentation of crimes detected with DNA as a proportion of total recorded crime undervalues the relative contribution of DNA to the crime detection rate. It should be noted that the majority of recorded crimes do not have a crime scene (for example, minor assault, drugs offences, theft, fraud etc.) and do not have a crime scene examination. In 2008-09, just under 797,000 crimes had a crime scene examination (17 percent of recorded crimes). In those crimes which have a crime scene examination, some do not yield any forensic material (DNA or fingerprints). In 2008-09, potential DNA material was collected at 99,402 crimes; and of these, 39,795 crimes yielded DNA crime scene samples of sufficient quantity and quality for profiling and loading to the NDNAD. Of the 39,795 crimes in which a crime scene sample profile was loaded, a match was generated in 36,727 crimes.
	The proportion of 'crimes detected in which a DNA match was available', of those, 'crimes where potential DNA material was collected' is shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  2008-09  Number/percentage 
			 Detected crimes in which a DNA match was available ('DNA detections') 17,607 
			 Additional detections arising from the DNA match(1) 14,602 
			 Total detected crimes in which a DNA match was available or played a part 32,209 
			 Total recorded crime 4,708,072 
			 Proportion of 'total crimes detected in which a DNA match was available or played a part' of total recorded crime (percentage) 0.68 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  2008-09  Number/percentage 
			 Detected crimes in which a DNA match was available ('DNA detections') 17,607 
			 Additional detections arising from the DNA match(1) 14,602 
			 Total detected crimes in which a DNA match was available or played a part 32,209 
			 Crimes where potential DNA material collected 99,402 
			 Proportion of 'crimes detected in which a DNA match was available' of 'crimes where potential DNA material collected' (percentage) 32.40 
			 (1 )Additional detections may result from the original crime with the DNA match due to the identification of further offences through forensic linkage or through admission by the offender.

Dorset Police: Olympic Games 2012

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timetable is for each of the work streams relating to policing by Dorset Police of the events of the London 2012 Olympic Games to be held in Portland.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 20 October 2009
	 : Dorset Police are fully engaged in each of the security projects that will contribute to the safety and the security of the sailing events at Weymouth and Portland.
	Funding will be released from project budgets when it is required to meet agreed operational needs, about which the Home Office is in discussion with the Association of Chief Police Officers, as well as the individual affected forces. The Home Office also needs to take into account the needs of other security agencies, affordability within the total funding available, and how to secure value for money. Funding will be kept under constant review to reflect the overall Olympic security requirement, including the needs of Dorset.

Fingerprints: Databases

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people on the national fingerprint database aged  (a) under 10,  (b) 10 to 15,  (c) 16 to 17 and  (d) 18 or more years old had no conviction, caution, formal warning or reprimand recorded on the police national computer.

Alan Johnson: The national fingerprint database does not hold criminal conviction data; it stores biometric data and basic identity details which can be used to align identity with records on the Police National Computer (PNC). The PNC is an operational tool and not designed to produce the information requested. To obtain the information would incur disproportionate cost.

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the monetary value of work carried out at each UK Forensic Science Service centre in each of the last five years; and what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the centres in carrying out their work.

Alan Campbell: The Forensic Science Service Ltd. does not manage its revenue streams by individual sites but records its income across the company. The revenue figures from 5 December 2005, when the company was vested as a Government-owned company are:
	5 December 2005 to 31 March 2007: £210,449,000
	1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008: £138,001,000.
	Performance by the company as a whole and at individual sites are matters for company management. The ability of the company to meet the required standards is governed by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.

Forensic Science: Digital Technology

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to process forensic evidence contained on computer disks and other digital media was in each police force area in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: No information is collected centrally on the average time taken by police forces in England and Wales to process forensic evidence contained on computer disks and other digital media.

Identity and Passport Service: Absenteeism

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff absences there were in the Identity and Passport Service in each month of the last 12 years.

Phil Woolas: The available information is given in the following tables.
	IPS can only provide monthly sickness statistics for two years as we do not have cleansed and validated figures for the rest of the period. Due to elapsed time, we cannot convert the raw data into a suitable format without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Figures for staff employed shown are FTE (full-time equivalents) which are the data readily available, representing permanent IPS staff. The General Register Office (GRO) became part of IPS with effect from April 2008 when it moved from the Office for National Statistics. The figures that have been supplied do not include GRO as the staff records for these staff were not migrated onto the IPS system until 1 April 2009.
	
		
			  Identity and passport service (IPS): Record of staff on sick leave for the latest rolling year 
			H.Q.  London  Liverpool  Peterborough  Newport  Glasgow  Belfast  Durham  ION  Total 
			  2007
			 May Staff in post (FTE) 473.80 314.10 436.44 550.75 364.93 265.98 165.93 689.70 94.24 3,355.89 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 346.62 445.33 453.94 566.75 427.81 437.88 136.09 620.60 - 3,435.01 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.73 1.42 1.04 1.03 1.17 1.65 0.82 0.90 - 1.02 
			 
			 June Staff in post (FTE) 481.48 319.34 439.40 548.97 361.49 263.36 166.13 678.71 163.89 3,422.77 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 309.83 391.47 451.88 536.68 465.88 373.43 153.49 620.30 1.00 3,303.96 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.64 1.23 1.03 0.98 1.29 1.42 0.92 0.91 0.01 0.97 
			 
			 July Staff in post (FTE) 492.60 318.48 436.35 545.18 357.88 261.01 166.93 671.73 228.05 3,478.21 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 359.75 440.66 478.93 625.78 430.37 350.72 144.35 592.61 76.15 3,499.32 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.73 1.38 1.10 1.15 1.20 1.34 0.86 0.88 0.33 1.01 
			 
			 August Staff in post (FTE) 504.11 314.01 426.29 538.47 356.56 260.85 165.78 668.64 283.38 3,518.10 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 342.76 445.01 526.06 557.12 518.77 315.40 147.82 675.81 89.14 3,617.89 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.68 1.42 1.23 1.03 1.45 1.21 0.89 1.01 0.31 1.03 
			 
			 September Staff in post (FTE) 526.70 311.36 430.96 534.16 352.84 250.29 164.84 661.76 327.76 3,560.67 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 235.16 311.64 400.36 426.49 386.62 247.17 177.03 580.02 85.89 2,850.38 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.45 1.00 0.93 0.80 1.10 0.99 1.07 0.88 0.26 0.80 
			 
			 October Staff in post (FTE) 552.77 287.92 409.57 523.16 338.78 240.79 157.76 646.19 396.00 3,552.95 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 337.23 412.99 456.35 571.92 487.01 279.48 239.74 697.76 130.22 3,612.70 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.61 1.43 1.11 1.09 1.44 1.16 1.52 1.08 0.33 1.02 
			 
			 November Staff in post (FTE) 558.77 288.67 411.42 520.16 337.30 244.79 159.76 643.41 425.31 3,589.59 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 376.34 432.14 532.15 534.80 368.23 338.08 217.26 680.13 140.99 3,620.12 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.67 1.50 1.29 1.03 1.09 1.38 1.36 1.06 0.33 1.01 
			 
			 December Staff in post (FTE) 563.37 295.37 408.96 505.11 339.58 239.79 158.96 646.41 432.75 3,590.30 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 394.16 291.61 466.73 464.51 297.89 318.09 126.99 687.24 264.70 3,311.92 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.70 0.99 1.14 0.92 0.88 1.33 0.80 1.06 0.61 0.92 
			 
			  2008
			 January Staff in post (FTE) 584.51 290.74 418.97 520.16 334.69 237.97 161.87 634.10 453.25 3,636.26 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 386.78 350.89 506.71 481.52 505.83 285.88 167.51 836.83 334.55 3,856.50 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.66 1.21 1.21 0.93 1.51 1.20 1.03 1.32 0.74 1.06 
			 
			 February Staff in post (FTE) 589.82 281.49 410.06 513.17 334.41 236.02 161.33 626.20 454.40 3,606.90 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 363.11 339.38 462.04 477.04 363.80 251.73 227.96 581.31 293.97 3,360.33 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.62 1.21 1.13 0.93 1.09 1.07 1.41 0.93 0.65 0.93 
			 
			 March Staff in post (FTE) 598.46 285.83 406.03 512.48 322.88 229.32 161.26 625.79 468.69 3,610.74 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 296.82 317.40 444.07 335.00 300.76 234.08 195.32 578.34 347.01 3,048.80 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.50 1.11 1.09 0.65 0.93 1.02 1.21 0.92 0.74 0.84 
			 
			 April Staff in post (FTE) 637.10 282.63 406.54 506.48 320.58 217.34 160.26 624.58 475.45 3,630.96 
			  Sick leave staff days (FTE) 419.35 405.68 515.75 458.00 299.42 224.58 123.56 690.29 446.06 3,582.69 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 0.66 1.44 1.27 0.90 0.93 1.03 0.77 1.11 0.94 0.99 
			 
			 12 month Staff divided by 12 months 546.96 299.16 420.08 526.52 343.49 245.63 162.57 651.43 350.26 3,546.11 
			  Total sick leave staff days 4,167.90 4,584.19 5,694.97 6,035.61 4,852.39 3,656.52 2,057.12 7,841.24 2,209.69 41,099.63 
			  Average sick leave per person(1) 7.62 15.32 13.56 11.46 14.13 14.89 12.65 12.04 6.31 11.59 
			 (1) Totals show sick leave staff days divided by staff in post 
		
	
	
		
			  Identity and passport service (IPS): Record of staff on sick absence for the latest rolling year 
			H.Q.  London  Liverpool  Peterborough  Newport  Glasgow  Belfast  Durham  ION  Total 
			  2008
			 April Staff in post (FTE) 637.10 282.63 406.54 506.48 320.58 217.34 160.26 624.58 475.45 3,630.96 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 419.35 405.68 515.75 458.00 299.42 224.58 123.56 690.29 446.06 3,582.69 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.66 1.44 1.27 0.90 0.93 1.03 0.77 1.11 0.94 0.99 
			 
			 May Staff in post (FTE) 630.39 278.86 404.99 502.84 319.48 212.74 160.43 620.77 474.84 3,605.34 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 426.10 339.83 383.10 585.55 306.42 250.28 111.90 630.83 363.21 3,397.22 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.68 1.22 0.95 1.16 0.96 1.18 0.70 1.02 0.76 0.94 
			 
			 June Staff in post (FTE) 650.28 293.18 405.58 500.89 320.39 213.20 162.67 619.53 472.21 3,637.92 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 389.87 356.73 359.11 569.68 376.38 198.61 168.72 584.51 234.32 3,237.93 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.60 1.22 0.89 1.14 1.17 0.93 1.04 0.94 0.50 0.89 
			 
			 July Staff in post (FTE) 653.20 299.44 412.90 497.89 325.80 211.66 162.67 620.50 497.41 3,681.47 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 515.70 406.30 410.72 541.86 420.15 239.64 125.92 655.41 302.01 3,617.71 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.79 1.36 0.99 1.09 1.29 1.13 0.77 1.06 0.61 0.98 
			 
			 August Staff in post (FTE) 658.06 298.37 411.69 500.64 320.79 207.91 163.67 616.73 477.40 3,655.26 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 352.86 421.09 352.52 484.38 313.12 227.42 68.70 589.54 328.49 3,138.12 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.54 1.41 0.86 0.97 0.98 1.09 0.42 0.96 0.69 0.86 
			 
			 September Staff in post (FTE) 674.41 294.33 406.12 496.28 322.10 201.97 164.91 607.36 475.17 3,642.65 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 446.92 358.26 304.91 557.27 279.53 268.29 64.47 623.65 333.56 3,236.86 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.66 1.22 0.75 1.12 0.87 1.33 0.39 1.03 0.70 0.89 
			 
			 October Staff in post (FTE) 698.62 268.33 401.22 493.08 320.79 184.58 164.91 599.24 464.58 3,595.35 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 573.86 257.16 393.84 519.75 368.34 326.31 100.50 581.41 338.29 3,459.46 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.82 0.96 0.98 1.05 1.15 1.77 0.61 0.97 0.73 0.96 
			 
			 November Staff in post (FTE) 724.69 258.19 396.98 492.73 320.16 165.92 164.86 591.56 461.07 3,576.17 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 609.01 220.60 392.10 375.31 324.37 307.33 119.58 520.68 271.33 3,140.31 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.84 0.85 0.99 0.76 1.01 1.85 0.73 0.88 0.59 0.88 
			 
			 December Staff in post (FTE) 717.69 259.90 392.98 488.39 321.49 152.42 164.86 596.30 460.19 3,554.22 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 754.57 168.22 420.42 529.24 311.02 253.74 136.68 653.14 320.49 3,547.52 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 1.05 0.65 1.07 1.08 0.97 1.66 0.83 1.10 0.70 1.00 
			 
			  2009
			 January Staff in post (FTE) 705.52 262.00 390.98 488.66 316.33 143.89 164.09 607.96 458.57 3,538.00 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 321.82 146.37 289.92 507.24 299.17 209.53 96.64 615.12 319.98 2,805.79 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.46 0.56 0.74 1.04 0.95 1.46 0.59 1.01 0.70 0.79 
			 
			 February Staff in post (FTE) 707.99 256.75 386.22 483.00 315.79 110.54 163.14 604.74 456.82 3,484.99 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 220.38 138.08 300.35 398.75 256.21 140.33 75.61 489.57 201.82 2,221.10 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.31 0.54 0.78 0.83 0.81 1.27 0.46 0.81 0.44 0.64 
			 
			 March Staff in post (FTE) 781.58 256.75 389.57 461.63 316.14 104.20 149.45 589.76 454.60 3,503.68 
			  Sick absence staff days (FTE) 356.65 168.10 295.84 377.47 308.96 68.50 93.65 439.07 275.10 2,383.33 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 0.46 0.65 0.76 0.82 0.98 0.66 0.63 0.74 0.61 0.68 
			 
			  Staff divided by 12 months 686.63 275.73 400.48 492.71 319.99 177.20 162.16 608.25 469.03 3,592.17 
			  Total sick absence staff days 5,387.08 3,386.42 4,418.57 5,904.50 3,863.09 2,714.57 1,285.93 7,073.22 3,734.65 37,768.03 
			  Average sick absence per person(1) 7.85 12.28 11.03 11.98 12.07 15.32 7.93 11.63 7.96 10.5 
			 
			  Annual target (days) 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 
			  Annual variance (days) 2.7 -1.8 -0.5 -1.5 -1.6 -4.8 2.6 -1.1 2.5 -0.0 
			  Annual percentage variance (2)25 (3)-17 (3)-5 (3)-14 (3)-15 (3)-46 (2)24 (3)-11 (2)24 (3)0 
			 (1) Totals show sick absence staff days divided by staff in post (2) Within YTD target (3) Outside YTD target  Note: IPS currently reports on staff by: Regional passport office locations (Liverpool, Peterborough, Glasgow, Belfast, London, Durham, Newport) Interview office network (ION)-as sites are so small, all offices are grouped together in one single report Headquarters (HQ)-this will included headquarters staff who are located outside London General Register's Office for England and Wales (GRO)

Immigration: Children

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were detained for immigration purposes for  (a) less than one week,  (b) between one week and one month,  (c) between one month and six months,  (d) between six months and one year and  (e) more than one year in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: The information is not held centrally recorded and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	National Statistics on children detained solely under Immigration Act powers on a snapshot basis are published quarterly. The information is published in Tables 9-11 of the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom bulletins which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Offences Against Children: Internet

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require internet service providers to block access to foreign websites identified as containing images of child abuse.

Alan Campbell: The Government are very clear that the use of blocking to prevent access to these images is something that internet service providers should do, and are pleased with the support from providers, which has led to 98.6 per cent. of UK consumer broadband lines being covered by blocking of sites identified by the Internet Watch Foundation as containing such illegal images. The Government recognise the work of the internet industry in reaching this figure.
	It remains our hope that the target of 100 per cent. of consumer-facing ISPs operating a blocking list will be achieved on a voluntary basis and we keep progress on the 100 per cent. target under review.
	The IWF publishes a list of companies that take the list. It has plans for a self-certification system so that the public will be able to identify which companies are operating an effective blocking policy.

Police: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community safety officers there were in Enfield North constituency in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: Police personnel statistics are not collected by parliamentary constituency. Enfield is a basic command unit (BCU) within the Metropolitan police. Police personnel statistics were not collected at BCU level until 2002-03.
	Data by police force area, with some breakdown by basic command unit (BCU) are National Statistics and are published annually in the Police Service Strength Statistical Bulletin, available on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website and the House of Commons Library. The relevant weblinks for the current year's data and a table for the previous years' data for the BCU of Enfield are provided for my right hon. Friend's convenience.
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1309.pdf
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb0808add_tab.xls
	
		
			  Police officer strength (FTE)( 1)  and police community support officer strength (FTE)( 1)  for the basic command unit of Enfield( 2) 
			   Officers  PCSOs 
			 2003 490 - 
			 2004 538 - 
			 2005 575 - 
			 2006 560 - 
			 2007(3) 582 119 
			 2008 546 134 
			 (1) These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number, due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. Figures include those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Figures as at 31 March in each of the given years. (3) 2006-07 is the first year that that police community support officer strength by basic command unit has been collected centrally.

Police: Injuries

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces have adopted the procedure on reviews of injury awards set out in Annex C to Home Office Circular 46/2004.

Alan Johnson: The information is not held centrally. It is for individual police authorities to decide whether to adopt Home Office guidance in relation to carrying out their statutory duties under the Police Injury Benefit Regulations.

Police: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers in each year since 1997 and  (b) police community support officers in each year since 2002 (i) were dismissed and (ii) resigned in Leeds North West constituency.

David Hanson: Data on dismissals and resignations are not collected centrally at constituency level.

Police: Manpower

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers there were in each police force in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The requested data are National Statistics and are published annually in the Police Service Strength Statistical Bulletin, available on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website and the House of Commons Library. The relevant weblink and tables are provided for the member's convenience.
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1309.pdf
	
		
			  Table 1: Police officer strength in England and Wales by police force area on 31 March 2009 
			  Police force  Total 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,355 
			 Bedfordshire 1,244 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,450 
			 Cheshire 2,180 
			 Cleveland 1,756 
			 Cumbria 1,284 
			 Derbyshire 2,137 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,556 
			 Dorset 1,512 
			 Durham 1,588 
			 Essex 3,484 
			 Gloucestershire 1,372 
			 Greater Manchester 8,232 
			 Hampshire 3,811 
			 Hertfordshire 2,172 
			 Humberside 2,110 
			 Kent 3,799 
			 Lancashire 3,753 
			 Leicestershire 2,363 
			 Lincolnshire 1,229 
			 London, City of 813 
			 Merseyside 4,494 
			 Metropolitan Police 32,610 
			 Norfolk 1,668 
			 Northamptonshire 1,326 
			 Northumbria 4,111 
			 North Yorkshire 1,460 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,408 
			 South Yorkshire 3,053 
			 Staffordshire 2,211 
			 Suffolk 1,291 
			 Surrey 1,872 
			 Sussex 3,196 
			 Thames Valley 4,317 
			 Warwickshire 994 
			 West Mercia 2,471 
			 West Midlands 8,637 
			 West Yorkshire 5,854 
			 Wiltshire 1,229 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,197 
			 Gwent 1,438 
			 North Wales 1,586 
			 South Wales 3,146 
			 Total 43 forces 143,770 
			 This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: PCSO strength as at 31 March 2009, by police force area, England and Wales 
			  Police force  Total strength( 1) 
			 Avon and Somerset 381 
			 Bedfordshire 122 
			 Cambridgeshire 196 
			 Cheshire 234 
			 Cleveland 198 
			 Cumbria 107 
			 Derbyshire 205 
			 Devon and Cornwall 362 
			 Dorset 156 
			 Durham 171 
			 Essex 446 
			 Gloucestershire 161 
			 Greater Manchester 782 
			 Hampshire 325 
			 Hertfordshire 256 
			 Humberside 321 
			 Kent 390 
			 Lancashire 437 
			 Leicestershire 228 
			 Lincolnshire 153 
			 London, City of 48 
			 Merseyside 442 
			 Metropolitan Police 4,594 
			 Norfolk 277 
			 Northamptonshire 168 
			 Northumbria 259 
			 North Yorkshire 173 
			 Nottinghamshire 243 
			 South Yorkshire 328 
			 Staffordshire 236 
			 Suffolk 160 
			 Surrey 206 
			 Sussex 399 
			 Thames Valley 517 
			 Warwickshire 143 
			 West Mercia 272 
			 West Midlands 812 
			 West Yorkshire 761 
			 Wiltshire 135 
			 Dyfed-Powys 82 
			 Gwent 139 
			 North Wales 159 
			 South Wales 325 
			 Total of 43 forces 16,507 
			 (1) Total strength given as full-time equivalents. This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Public Telecommunications Systems

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Metropolitan Police, the National Police Improvement Agency and the Olympic Security Directorate have met to discuss  (a) integration of their secure network requirements and  (b) the potential for efficiency savings through integration.

Alan Johnson: The additional Airwave requirements for the Olympics have been identified for all emergency services across the UK. These form the basis for the contractual negotiations with Airwave Solutions Limited (ASL).
	The negotiations with the emergency services ensure the system remains fully interoperable and that any potential savings for negotiating on a combined basis are achieved.

Public Telecommunications Systems

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether he has received reports of any delay in the implementation of the London Secure Communications Network;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of progress on the schedule for roll-out of the London Secure Communications Network before the 2012 Olympics.

Alan Johnson: The enhancements to the Airwave Radio System required for the 2012 Olympics are currently on schedule

Public Telecommunications Systems

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the London Secure Communications Network will be implemented.

Alan Johnson: The implementation of the Olympic enhancements for the Airwave radio system is currently progressing against schedule, so that it is ready for the 2012 games.

Stop and Search

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people aged  (a) under 10,  (b) 10 to 15 and  (c) 16 to 17 years old have been subject to police stop and search procedures in each police force area in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people aged  (a) over 80,  (b) 71 to 80 and  (c) 60 to 70 years old have been subject to police stop and search procedures in each police force area in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: Information on stops and searches that the law requires to be reported to the Home Office does not include information on the age of persons searched.

UK Border Agency: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in bonuses to  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administration staff in the UK Border Agency in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: Please see the following tables for a breakdown of bonuses paid to UK Border Agency staff, including front-line officers, within the last five financial years.
	I also refer the hon. Gentlemen to the previous answer provided on 29 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 78-80W, which shows that the size of the UK Border Agency staff ranges between 15,370 and 18,838 during these years. At the same time we have also integrated the functions of the Border and Immigration Agency, UK Visas and HMRC functions at the border and now have a presence in 135 countries around the world.
	The level of bonuses paid to staff in 2008-09 represents less than 0.23 per cent. of the Agency's net out-turn (budget minus income). Bonuses are only given to those who have performed to a high standard and have delivered the Agency's public commitments.
	
		
			  Financial year 2004-05 
			  Civil service grade (and equivalent)  Total amount by grade  (£) 
			 Administrative assistant (and equivalent) 35,651.43 
			 Administrative officer (and equivalent) 147,767.80 
			 Executive officer (and equivalent) 717,792.59 
			 Higher executive officer (and equivalent) 463,624.29 
			 Senior executive officer (and equivalent) 347,119.91 
			 Grade 7 191,648.15 
			 Grade 6 83,213.00 
			 Senior civil service 29,954.00 
			 Grand total 2,016,771.17 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year 2005-06 
			  Civil service grade (and equivalent)  Total amount by g rade  (£) 
			 Administrative assistant (and equivalent) 88,988.16 
			 Administrative officer (and equivalent) 271,638.77 
			 Executive officer (and equivalent) 1,157,190.18 
			 Higher executive officer (and equivalent) 688,560.92 
			 Senior executive officer (and equivalent) 482,884.07 
			 Grade 7 257,919.28 
			 Grade 6 123,956.00 
			 Senior civil service 40,474.00 
			 Grand total 3,111,611.38 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year 2006-07 
			  Civil service grade (and equivalent)  Total amount by g rade  (£) 
			 Administrative assistant (and equivalent) 119,325.46 
			 Administrative officer (and equivalent) 352,503.81 
			 Executive officer (and equivalent) 1,385,240.37 
			 Higher executive officer (and equivalent) 801,067.68 
			 Senior executive officer (and equivalent) 513,648.95 
			 Grade 7 274,715.86 
			 Grade 6 170,090.32 
			 Senior civil service 61,939.86 
			 Grand total 3,678,532.31 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year 2007-08 
			  Civil service grade (and equivalent)  Total amount by g rade  (£) 
			 Administrative assistant (and equivalent) 88,370.88 
			 Administrative officer (and equivalent) 292,742.55 
			 Executive officer (and equivalent) 909,644.96 
			 Higher executive officer (and equivalent) 553,174.23 
			 Senior executive officer (and equivalent) 478,373.77 
			 Grade 7 265,220.03 
			 Grade 6 179,649.74 
			 Senior civil service 295,992.68 
			 Grand total 3,063,168.84 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year 2008-09 
			  Civil service grade (and equivalent)  Total amount by g rade  (£) 
			 Administrative assistant (and equivalent) 96,893.16 
			 Administrative officer (and equivalent) 366,301.71 
			 Executive officer (and equivalent) 1,098,218.29 
			 Higher executive officer (and equivalent) 626,261.21 
			 Senior executive officer (and equivalent) 456,418.16 
			 Grade 7 287,680.19 
			 Grade 6 154,825.77 
			 Senior civil service 343,605.08 
			 Grand total 3,430,203.57

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies: Sponsorship

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  for which academies an element of the committed sponsorship has been paid in kind;
	(2)  what audit mechanism is used to assess the monetary value of sponsorship provided in kind for academies;
	(3)  which academies have received their pledged sponsorship in full in cash.

Vernon Coaker: The following table identifies academies where sponsorship is a contribution to capital costs and the Department has evidence of receipt that the contribution has been paid in full. There may be cases where further sponsorship payments have already been received by the Academy Trust but not yet reported to the Department.
	
		
			  Traditionally procurement academies where sponsorship has been received in full 
			 Lambeth West London (Ealing) 
			 Sheffield Springs John Madejski (Reading) 
			 Sheffield Park The Bridge (Hackney) 
			 The King's (Middlesbrough) Petchey (Hackney) 
			 Trinity - Doncaster North Liverpool 
			 Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham St Matthew (Lewisham ) 
			 Haberdashers' Knights Langley (Slough) 
			 Marlowe (Kent) Leigh Technology (Kent) 
			 Walsall Merchants' Withywood 
			 Grace Solihull Excelsior (Newcastle) 
			 Burlington Danes Corby Business 
			 King Solomon Academy Westminster Landau Forte College (Derby) 
			 City of London Southwark City of London (Islington COLA -1) 
			 Bexley Business Folkestone 
			 City Academy Hackney (COLA - H) North Oxfordshire 
			 Wren (Barnet) - 
		
	
	The only Endowment Sponsorship Academy where sponsorship is in the form of contributions to an endowment fund, and has been reported to the Department as having been received in full is the Marsh Academy (Kent). As with the first category, there may be cases where further sponsorship has already been received by the Academy Trust but not yet reported to the Department.
	Sponsorship in kind is additional to formal sponsorship requirements, the Department does not therefore keep records of it.
	In-kind sponsorship received by academies is recorded in their annual financial statements which are subject to external audit. The external auditor will certify, among other things, whether the financial statements give a true and fair view of the academy's incoming resources.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of childcare settings have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted exemption from parts of the early years foundation stage.

Dawn Primarolo: As of 15 October 2009, 18 Steiner Waldorf settings and one registered childminder have applied for exemptions from and/or modifications of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Of those that have completed the exemptions application process, six Steiner Waldorf settings have been granted exemptions and/or modifications from certain parts of the EYFS Learning and Development requirements.

Children's Centres: West Yorkshire

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many new Sure Start centres his Department plans to open in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Leeds and  (c) West Yorkshire in the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The West Yorkshire area (which covers Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield) currently has 153 Sure Start Children's Centres offering services to approximately 127,000 children, with a further 20 planned to be delivered by March 2010 in order to provide universal coverage of children's centre services for children under five and their families. Of the 153 centres, 51 are in Leeds with a further eight centres planned. Leeds West constituency has seven centres, there are no further centres planned for this constituency.

Class Sizes: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the pupil to teacher ratio in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Leeds West constituency was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The following table provides the within school pupil:teacher ratios in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Leeds West constituency in January 2009.
	
		
			  Pupil:teacher ratios( 1)  in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools( 2) ,  January 2009 
			  Coverage: Leeds West constituency 
			   Number 
			 Primary 21.7 
			 Secondary 16.4 
			 (1) The within school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools. (2) Excludes academies and city technology colleges.  Note: For statistical purposes only, pupils who do not attend both morning and afternoon at least five days a week are regarded as part-time. Each part-time pupil is treated as 0.5 FTE.  Source: School Census

Departmental Public Expenditure

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which line items in table 8.4 of his Department's annual report for 2009, indents the funding allocation for  (a) extended schools-sustainability and  (b) extended schools-subsidy elements of the Standards Fund 2010-11 Allocations spreadsheet published on the Teachernet website.

Diana Johnson: The funding allocation for extended schools is included in the Departmental Annual Report 2009, Table 8.4, within the line Schools, Other Standards Funds.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he expects his Department to spend on supporting its national strategies in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: In the current year we have committed £390 million to National Strategies programmes. This includes the development and delivery of free resources to schools through the National Strategies contract as well as support to local authorities and schools to enable them to access the strategies' training and intervention programmes.
	Expenditure for 2010-11 has yet to be determined and will depend upon the priorities set in the National Strategies Annual Plan which we hope to agree in December. We have already announced that the National Strategies contract will not be renewed when it comes to an end in March 2011. Instead, we will be placing resources directly into the hands of schools, giving them greater freedom to determine their improvement needs and to secure the most appropriate support.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been allocated to the Youth of Today programme in each of the next five years, and under which budgetary headings such expenditure falls.

Vernon Coaker: The allocation for The Youth of Today programme is 3,416,000 in FY 2009-10 and £2,671,000 in FY 2010-11.
	These costs are to deliver a fellowship programme; ministerial shadowing scheme; a local shadowing scheme; a young leader's campaign; stimulate the youth leadership sector and create a leadership progression framework; deliver a £1 million grant opportunity scheme; promote leadership in education; connect international best practice and provide youth led support and challenge to government and public services.

European Schools: Finance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost to the public purse was of payments to European Schools in respect of  (a) teachers' salaries and  (b) other support in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: In the 2008-09 financial year the cost was  (a) circa £8,901,000 for teachers' salaries and  (b) circa £943,000 for other support.

Family Proceedings

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children involved in Children Act proceedings in each court area are awaiting the appointment of a guardian ad litem; and what the average waiting time in each such area was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Court circuit  Cases awaiting allocation (at 15 September)  Total children  Average waiting time for cases received April to August 2009 (working days) 
			 London 174 272 27.2 
			 Midlands 34 59 12.2 
			 North East 230 364 4.9 
			 North West 296 513 21.4 
			 South East 65 110 12.9 
			 South West 117 180 9.2 
			 Total 916 1,498 13.4 
		
	
	There are 916 cases awaiting allocation which represents 6.9 per cent. of Cafcass' total open public law workload. All of these cases have been reviewed, prioritised and screened for risk and this is a continuous process until substantive allocation takes place. This Department has asked Cafcass to take urgent action to tackle the unallocated cases and has made available additional resources of up to £1.6 million in this financial year to do so.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils in  (a) independent and  (b) comprehensive schools achieved five or more A* grades at GCSE in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many students in academies achieved five or more A* grades at GCSE in the last year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 16 October 2009
	 Provisional data for 2008/09 show that:
	8,558 pupils (18.3 per cent.) at the end of Key Stage 4 in independent schools achieved five or more A* grades at GCSE.
	12,663 pupils (2.4 per cent.) at the end of Key Stage 4 in comprehensive schools achieved five or more A* grades at GCSE.
	178 pupils (0.9 per cent.) at the end of Key Stage 4 in academies achieved five or more A* grades at GCSE.

GCSE

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which 10 non-core curriculum subjects the number of GCSE entries was highest in each  (a) comprehensive,  (b) selective and  (c) partially-selective local authority area in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 October 2009
	 The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which 10 non-core curriculum subjects the number of GCSE entries was highest in  (a) maintained comprehensives,  (b) maintained selective,  (c) maintained secondary modern and  (d) independent schools in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 October 2009
	The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Most popular non-core subjects by school type, 2009 
			  Rank  Maintained  c omprehensive  Entries  Maintained  s elective  Entries  Maintained secondary m odern  Entries  Independent schools  Entries 
			 1 English Literature 404,854 English Literature 21,497 English Literature 17,962 English Literature 36,755 
			 2 History 155,557 History 11,918 Art and Design 7,216 French 26,744 
			 3 Religious Studies 139,184 French 11,736 History 6,491 History 23,263 
			 4 Art and Design 138,582 Geography 10,726 Geography 5,997 Geography 21,628 
			 5 Geography 132,079 Religious Studies 8,438 Statistics 5,541 Art and Design 14,906 
			 6 French 123,819 German 7,583 Physical Education 5,441 Religious Studies 13,632 
			 7 Physical Education 117,584 Art and Design 6,426 Religious Studies 5,260 Spanish 11,249 
			 8 Drama 71,807 Spanish 4,885 French 4,588 Classical Studies 8,596 
			 9 Business Studies 62,595 Business Studies 4,832 Media/Film/TV 3,227 Drama 7,937 
			 10 Statistics 61,040 Physical Education 4,738 D and T: Resistant Materials 3,193 German 7,239 
			  Notes: 1. These figures have been derived from the Achievement and Attainment data and cover pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2009. 2. Data for 2009 are provisional and subject to change after school checking.

Gifted Children: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on the gifted and talented programme in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Department spent £17.5 million on the gifted and talented programme in the financial year 2008-09.

History: GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils in receipt of free school meals in  (a) maintained schools and  (b) all schools achieved a grade A* in history GCSE in 2008;
	(2)  how many pupils in receipt of free school meals in  (a) maintained schools and  (b) all schools achieved a grade A in history A level in 2008.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 July 2009
	Of those pupils at the end of key stage 4 who were eligible to receive free school meals in maintained schools in England, 354 achieved a grade A* in GCSE History in 2008.
	52 pupils aged 16-18 (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2007) who were eligible for free school meals in maintained schools, achieved a grade A in GCE History A level in 2008.
	The figures relate to pupils in maintained schools only. Information collected regarding free school meals forms part of the School Census which is only carried out in maintained schools. The free school meal information that is linked to attainment is for those eligible for free meals rather than those in receipt of.

Nurseries: West Yorkshire

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nursery nurses per head of population there were in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) the City of Leeds and  (c) West Yorkshire in each year since 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: These data are not available. However, national data on the numbers and characteristics of staff in the child care and early years workforce is collected through the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey. The latest survey to be published in the series is for 2008 and was published at the end of September 2009. This can be found at the following website address:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation.cfm?projectld=14590type=5resultspage=1

Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Key Stage 1 classes there were in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools: Key Stage 1 classes( 1, 2 ) Years: Position in January each year: 2001-09 (final) Coverage: England 
			  Key Stage 1 classes( 3)  Total number of classes 
			 2001 62,480 
			 2002 61,600 
			 2003 57,240 
			 2004 56,590 
			 2005 55,860 
			 2006 54,390 
			 2007 53,350 
			 2008 53,160 
			 2009 53,500 
			 (1) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Includes reception classes.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Primary Education: Finance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many local authorities have applied for safety valve funding to meet increased demand for primary school places; how much has been allocated in each case; what steps he is taking to review the criteria used to make such allocations; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: We are currently appraising the 51 applications we have received for the £200 million of capital funding we have secured as an interim measure to support authorities which forecast exceptional growth in demand for primary school places by 2011. In considering these applications, we have had discussions with a range of local authorities and with representative bodies including London councils and the Local Government Association, to consider the criteria we have used. Our aim is to ensure that this funding is fairly allocated to those authorities with the highest need, where funding the additional places from other resources would unduly impact on other priorities. We aim shortly to announce allocations. We are also, in the context of the next spending review, working on how to ensure that in the longer term there are high quality permanent pupil places where they are wanted.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the per pupil funding for  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school children in Leeds West constituency was in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The Department allocates education funding to local authorities so the requested information for Leeds West constituency is not available. The per pupil revenue funding figures for primary and secondary school pupils for Leeds local authority in 2004-05 and 2005-06 are as follows. These figures are in real terms:
	
		
			  Real terms revenue funding per pupil (£)-EFS plus grants 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			   Primary (aged 3-10)  Secondary(aged 11-15)  Primary(aged 3-10)  Secondary(aged 11-15) 
			 Leeds local authority 3,790 4,870 4,020 5,100 
			  Notes: 1. Price base: Real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 June 2009 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education formula spending (EFS) settlements and include the pensions transfer to EFS. 3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three-15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations. 5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. 
		
	
	The revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the new Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). They are not comparable with those for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 2004-05 to 2005-06 figures are based on education formula spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the local government finance settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG, which has been in place since 2006-07 is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover
	LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's local government finance settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
	To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year.
	The per pupil revenue funding figures for years 2005-06 (baseline) to 2008-09 for Leeds local authority are provided in the table below. As the DSG is a mechanism for distributing funding, a split between primary and secondary schools is not available. The figures as follows are for all funded pupils aged three-19 and are in real terms:
	
		
			  Real terms revenue funding per pupil (£)-DSG plus grants pupils aged three-19 
			   2005-06 (Baseline)  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Leeds local authority 4,290 4,390 4,540 4,620 
			  Notes: 1. This covers funding through the dedicated schools grant, school standards grant, school standards grant (personalisation) and standards fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level. 2. Price base: Real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 June 2009. 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged three-19. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10 5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. Figures are not yet available for 2009-10

Reading

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made towards the Government's target to extend the reading recovery scheme to 30,000 children by 2011; and how many children are currently taking part.

Diana Johnson: Reading Recovery is a one-to-one intervention that sits within the wider Every Child a Reader (ECaR) programme. ECaR delivers a layered approach to support children at KS1 who are not reaching age-related expectations in reading. The target is to extend the ECaR programme to reach 30,000 children by 2011, and we are currently on track to meet this. Currently 19,308 children are taking part in the ECaR programme, with 12,954 of those receiving one-to-one support through Reading Recovery.

School Improvement and Targets Unit: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the annual cost of the School Improvement and Targets Unit was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The annual staffing cost of the School Improvement and Targets Unit in the 2007/08 financial year was £2,183,340. This was the last year that the unit was in existence as there was a reorganisation of departmental policy teams in 2008.
	The unit was responsible for the New Relationship with Schools programme, schools causing concern, local authority and school target setting, the Achievement and Attainment Tables, RAISEonline and pupil assessment.

Schools: Alcoholic Drinks

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many incidents of alcohol abuse on school grounds involving minors were reported in  (a) England,  (b) Essex and  (c) Castle Point constituency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is not available.
	The Department collects information on the reasons why pupils have been excluded, either for a fixed period or permanently. This includes the category for drug and alcohol related. This data is available for England and Essex in SFR 18/2009 'Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2007/08' which can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000860/index.shtml

Schools: Asbestos

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 234W, on schools: asbestos, when he expects the evaluation of responses to the questionnaire about the management of asbestos in system-built schools to be completed.

Diana Johnson: Initial evaluation of the responses is complete. It has highlighted the need for further investigation and follow-up action. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officials will discuss with my Department in November how to take this forward.
	The response rate from Diocese and voluntary aided schools was low. With HSE we are now considering how to get information on asbestos from the voluntary aided sector.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of new  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools were fitted with sprinklers in each year since 2005.

Vernon Coaker: It is our policy, introduced in 2007 and set out in published guidance, that all new schools should have sprinklers installed, except those assessed to be at low risk of an arson attack. It is for local authorities and other promoters of schools to carry out risk assessments, and ensure that sprinklers are installed where deemed necessary. All schools should have adequate fire precautions in place to safeguard life in the event of a fire. Sprinklers are the only fire suppression systems used in schools.
	50 of the 70 (71 per cent.) secondary schools newly built under the Building Schools for the Future programme included sprinklers. The table gives these figures for each year.
	
		
			   Number of new BSF secondary schools  Number with sprinklers  Proportion with sprinklers (percentage) 
			 April 2009-present 28 20 71 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 34 30 88 
			 April 2007 to March 2008 5 3 60 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 3 2 66 
		
	
	Of the 74 academies completed, six (8 per cent.) have sprinkler systems installed. 15 of the 19 (79 per cent.) new academy secondary school buildings planned under new funding arrangements will include sprinklers.
	We do not collect data on the number of new primary schools which are fitted with sprinklers. We started to collect this data for new secondary schools in April 2009 following my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud's (Mr. Drew) parliamentary question answered on 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 168W.

Schools: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2009,  Official Report, column 442W, on schools: standards, for what reasons comparable information for each year since 1997 is not available; and for which years comparable information is available.

Vernon Coaker: The information provided in the answer of 2 June 2009 was based on a review of the department's field forces, providing support and challenge to LAs, conducted in autumn 2008. Comparable information is not available for other years since this was a one-off exercise and no equivalent exercise had been conducted in previous years. Information about the numbers and costs of all field forces has not been routinely recorded centrally for each year since 1997. To collect this information retrospectively would exceed the cost threshold of £750 applicable to central Government.

Specialist School and Academies Trust: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the income of the Specialist School and Academies Trust  (a) was in each year from 1999 to 2000 to 2007-08 and  (b) is planned to be in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, from (i) central Government grants, (ii) subscriptions from schools, (iii) private sector donations and (iv) other income; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) is an independent registered charity which receives income from a range of sources. As such, DCSF does not have responsibility for monitoring its income. Audited accounts are published and available from the Charity Commission.
	The DCSF funds SSAT through a range of grants and contracts to support the Specialist Schools and Academies Programmes and a range of other activities designed to raise pupil achievement. The total financial contributions made by DCSF and its predecessors to SSAT over the last eight years for which we have final information are: £2.395 million in 2001-02; £4.371 million in 2002-03; £11.326 million in 2003-04; £17.796 million in 2004-05; £24.350 million in 2005-06; £35.152 million in 2006-07, £43.578 million in 2007-08 and £29.700 million in 2008-09.
	This includes both grants and contracts. DCSF negotiates funding levels each year for individual grants and contracts. We are not in a position to estimate what the level of funding will be in future years-this will depend on our priorities at the time.

Teachers: Resignations

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many teachers left the profession within five years of entering it in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many teachers  (a) in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools and  (b) of (A) English, (B) mathematics, (C) history and (D) science left the profession within five years of entering it in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many teachers who entered the profession in the maintained comprehensive sector in 2003 were still teaching in the sector in 2008;
	(4)  how many teachers who entered the profession in the maintained sector in 2003 teaching  (a) in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools and (A) English, (B) mathematics, (C) history and (D) science were still teaching in the sector in 2008.

Vernon Coaker: The data are not available in the exact formats requested. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of subjects taught by those teachers entering/leaving the profession. It is not possible to separate out comprehensive schools from the secondary school sector.
	All figures provided relate to newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who entered the maintained schools sector in 2002-03 and who are still in service in 2007-08 (the most recent data available). The following table shows the percentage of newly qualified teachers who were still in service in local authority maintained schools five years after qualification.
	
		
			  The number of full and part-time( 1)  NQTs who joined the service in 2002-03, and were still in service in the maintained sector in England in 2007-08( 2) 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary  Total maintained sector( 3) 
			 Entered service in 2002-2003 9,800 11,600 21,600 
			 In service in 2007-2008(4) 7,600 8,300 16,000 
			 Not in service in 2007-2008 2,200 3,300 5,600 
			 
			 Percentage in service after five years 77 72 74 
			 (1) Teachers in part-time service are under-recorded on the DTR by between 10 and 20 per cent. and therefore these figures may be slightly underestimated. (2) Figures relating to 2007-08 are provisional and subject to change. (3) Total maintained sector includes teachers in maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units. (4) Those in service in 2007-08 will not all have been in service for the full five years; some may have left and returned to service within the five years.  Source:  Database of Teacher Records. 
		
	
	Overall, 21,600 NQTs entered full or part-time service in the maintained schools sector (includes nursery/primary, secondary, special and pupil referral units) in 2002-03 in England. Five years later, in 2007-08, 74 per cent. of these were recorded as still in service in the maintained schools sector in England.
	Many teachers return to service after a break. In 2007-08, the latest year for which figures are available, around 8,500 qualified teachers returned to service in the maintained sector (all school types) after a break of at least one year.

Youth of Today Programme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people have participated in his Department's Youth of Today programme  (a) shadowing ministers,  (b) as part of the fellowship programme,  (c) shadowing local councillors,  (d) as registered local role models since the programme's inception.

Vernon Coaker: The information is as follows:
	(a) Since the inception of the programme, no young person has shadowed a Minister. There are currently 22 opportunities to shadow Ministers arranged to take place in the coming months;
	(b) 276 young people have participated in the Fellowship since the inception of the programme;
	(c) 23 young people have participated in the local shadowing scheme since the inception of the programme;
	(d) 15 young people have registered as local role models since the inception of the programme, a recruitment drive to select a further 50 role models will be launched shortly.

Youth of Today Programme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people were involved in the Summer 2009 fellowship operated by his Department's Youth of Today programme; what the cost of each fellowship was; what was required of each fellow; and whether he plans to publish an assessment of the effectiveness of the programme.

Vernon Coaker: 165 young people attended the TYOT Fellowship summer residential. An additional 111 young people will be participating in the Fellowship local groups, along with those that participated in the residential, over the course of the next year. The cost of delivering this years fellowship is £617,111.
	The requirements for the Fellows are to develop as young leaders within their community; take action through a programme of local group activity; influence others to make positive change locally, nationally and globally; and to complete 1,000 Positive Actions by the end of their Fellowship experience.
	The effectiveness of the programme will be assessed through an external evaluation of The Youth of Today programme.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Sexual Offences

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many  (a) male and  (b) female sex offenders are living in residential accommodation provided by (i) the NHS and (ii) relevant charities in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  by what mechanism the care and re-homing of sex offenders deemed physically or mentally ill is funded in Northern Ireland;
	(3)  what mechanisms are in place to inform healthcare staff when a patient has a criminal conviction for sex offences.

Paul Goggins: Although public protection arrangements, for which I have responsibility, bring together a number of criminal justice agencies, and others, to assess and manage risk of harm posed by the most serious offenders, these questions relate specifically to areas of health and social care and are therefore matters devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive.